TE 


UC-NRLF 


D    E    515   045 


REPORT 


OF 


THE  MAYOR'S  COMMITTEE 
ON  PAVEMENTS 


Appointed  in  October,  1 9 1  i ,  by  Mayor  Gaynor  to  investigate 

and  report  to  him  on  the  present  condition  of  the 

pavements  of  the  City  and  how  they 

can  best  be  improved 


NEW  YORK,  MARCH,  1912 


REPORT 


OF 


THE      AYOR'S  COMMITTEE 
ON   PAVEMENTS 


Appointed  in  October,   191 1,  by  Mayor  Gaynor  to  investigate 
and  report  to  him  on  the  present  condition  of  the 
pavements  of  the  City  and  how  they 
can  best  be  improved 


NEW  YORK,  MARCH,  1912 


MAYOR'S  COMMITTEE  ON  PAVEMENTS. 


J.  O.  BLOSS Chamber  of  Commerce. 

JACOB  A.  CANTOR Ex-Pres't  Borough  of  Manhattan. 

L.  BARTON  CASE West  End  Association. 

ROBERT  GRIER  COOKE Fifth  Avenue  Association. 

F.  B.  DE  BERARD The  Merchants'  Association. 

JOSEPH  L.  DELAFIELD Washington  Square  Association. 

THOMAS  DIMOND Dimond  Iron  Works. 

JOHN  C.  FAMES The  Merchants'  Association. 

STEPHEN  FARRELLY American  News  Co. 

ERNEST  FLAGG Fifth  Avenue  Association. 

WILLIAM  H.  GIBSON Board  of  Trade  and  Transportation. 

S.  CARMAN  HARRIOT Fifth  Avenue  Association. 

CHARLES  R.  LAMB Municipal  Art  Society. 

G.  ROWLAND  LEAVITT 

RICHARD  W.  MEADE Pres't  N.  Y.  Transportation  Co. 

W.  W.  NILES Attorney,  n  Wall  St. 

JOSEPH  K.  ORR Pres't  N.  Y.  Team  Owners'  Ass'n. 

WILLIAM  H.  PAGE Attorney,  32  Liberty  St. 

HENRY  SANDERSON Pres't  Automobile   Club   of  America. 

ALBERT  R.  SHA'TTUCK Automobile  Club  of  America. 

AARON  C.  THAYER Attorney,  32  Nassau  St. 

C.  F.  WIEBUSCH City  Club. 

iii 

M259794 


OFFICERS  AND  SUB-COMMITTEES. 


OFFICERS. 

A.  R.  SHATTCCK.  Chairman.  F.  15.  DE  BERARD,  Secretory. 

ERXEST  FI.AC.C,  /  'iee-Cliainnan.  T.  O.   lii.oss.  Treasurer. 


SUB-COMMITTEES. 


SUB-COMMITTEE    OX    THE    PRESENT    CONDITION    OF    THE 
PAVEMENTS    THROUGHOUT    THE    CITY. 

F.  B.  DE  BERARD,  Chairman;  RICHARD  \Y.  MEADE, 

ROBERT  GRIER  COOKE,  Jonx  C.  FAMES. 

SUB-COMMITTEE  OX   CONTROL  OF   STREET  OPEXIXGS  AXD 

REPAIRS. 

AAROX   C'.  THAYEK.  Cliairnian;  L.  J!ARTOX  CASE. 

SUB-COMMITTJ-:E  ON  TJII-:  \\VRIOUS  TYPES  OF  PAVEMENT 

IX  GEXFRAE  USE,  THEIR  COST  AXD  SUITABILITY 

TO  VARIOUS  CLASSES  OF  TRAFFIC. 

S.   CARMAX   HARRIOT. 
JOSEPH   K.  ORR. 

SUB-COMMITTEE  ON    1'RESICXT   METHODS   OV  ADAI 1XISTRA- 
TIOX    AND   THEIR    DEFECTS. 

\V.    \V.    NlLES. 

AAROX  C.  TJIAYER. 


SUB-COMMITTEE  ON  INCONVENIENCE  TO  THE  PUBLIC. 

STEPHEN  FARRELLY,  Chairman;  WILLIAM  H.  GIBSON, 

J.  O.  BLOSS,  CHARLES  R.  LAMB. 

SUB-COMMITTEE  ON   STATISTICS. 
F.  B.  DE  BERARD,  Chairman;  JOSEPH  L.  DELAFIELD. 

SUB-COMMITTEE    ON    FINANCE. 
HENRY  SANDERSON,  Chairman;  JACOB  A.  CANTOR. 

SUB-COMMITTEE    ON     SNOW    REMOVAL    AND    GUTTER 

FLUSHING. 

ERNEST  FLAGG,  Chairman;  THOMAS  DIMOND, 

ROBERT    GRIER   COOKE. 

SUB-COMMITTEE  ON   LEGISLATION. 

WILLIAM  H.  PAGE,  Chairman;  AARON  C.  THAYER. 

W.  W.  NILES,  JOSEPH  L.  DELAFIELD. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE: 

IST  PART  :     PRESENT  CONDITION  OF  PAVEMENTS i 

2ND  PART  :    RECOMMENDATIONS 3 

APPENDIX  TO  REPORT: 

KINDS  OF  PAVEMENT  IN  USE 9 

SUITABILITY  OF  DIFFERENT  TYPES  OF  PAVEMENT  FOR  DIFFERENT 

CLASSES  OF  TRAFFIC 10 

DEFECTIVE  METHODS 14 

ECONOMIC  ADVANTAGES  OF  GOOD  PAVEMENTS 37 

COST  OF  PAVEMENTS 38 

ECONOMY  AND  FIRST  COST 39 

ENGINEERING   40 

INSPECTION   41 

STATISTICS  OF  TRAFFIC 42 

STREET  OPENINGS,  GUARANTIES  AND  REPAIRS 44 

STREET  RAILWAYS  AND  PAVEMENTS 45 

SMOOTHNESS  46 

CURBS,  GUTTERS  AND  SEWER  INLETS 47 

DIVIDED  RESPONSIBILITY 52 

GRANITE  PAVING  BLOCKS 52 

IMPROPER  USE  OF  STREETS  BY  PRIVATE  INTERESTS 54 

REPORT:     SUB-COMMITTEE    ON    PRESENT    CONDITION  OF 
PAVEMENTS : 

STONE  PAVEMENTS 57 

ASPHALT   PAVEMENTS 59 

STREET  RAILWAYS 60 

MAN-HOLES  .  61 


PAGE 

REPORT:      SUM-COMMITTEE    OX    CONTROL    OF    STREET 

OPENINGS  AND  REPAIRS 63-67 

REPORT:  SUM-COMMITTEE  ON  VARIOUS  TYPES  OF 
PAVEMENT  IN  GENERAL  USE:  THEIR  COST  AND 
SUITABILITY  TO  VARIOUS  CLASSES  OF  TRAFFIC .  69-73 

REPORT:  SUM-COMMITTEE  ON  PRESENT  METHODS  OF 
ADMINISTRATION  AND  THEIR  DEFECTS: 

HOLES  AND  DEFECTS  CAUSED  BY  TRAFFIC 75 

OPENINGS  MADE  BY  SUB-SERVICE  CORPORATIONS,  PLUMBERS  AND 

OTHERS    75 

OPENINGS  MADE  BY  VARIOUS  CITY  DEPARTMENTS,  MAINLY  THE 

WATER  DEPARTMENT    76 

INADEQUATE  CONTROL  OF  THE  WORK  DONE  BY  THE  SURFACE  RAIL- 
ROADS        76 

WANT  OF   ENGINEERING   CENTRALIZATION 76 

DAMAGE  TO  PAVEMENTS  RESULTING  FROM   USE  OF  STREETS  BY 

BUILDERS  AND  OTHERS 77 

WANT  OF  EXPERT  KNOWLEDGE  UPON  THE  SUBJECT  OF  STREET 

TAVING    77 

REPORT:      SUB-COMMITTEE    ON     INCONVENIENCE    TO 
PUBLIC    . 

REPORT :     SUB-COMMITTEE  ON  LEGISLATION 83 

REPORT:     SUB-COMMITTEE  ON    SNOW   REMOVAL   AND 

GUTTER  FLUSHING  85-86 

PROPOSED  AMENDATORY  LAWS: 

"A":     RELATING  TO  PERMITS  FOR  THE  REMOVAL  OF  PAVEMENTS 

AND  THE  RELAYING  OF  SAME 87 

"B":     IN  RELATION  TO  THE  INSPECTION  AND  REPAIRING  OF  PAVE- 
MENTS           91 

"C":     CREATING  A  PAVING  BOARD  AND  DEFINING  ITS   POWERS 

AND  DUTIES   93 

"D":     To  AMEND  THE  RAILROAD  LAW,  RELATIVE  TO  KEEPING 

STREETS  IN   REPAIR 95 

vii 


REPORT  OF  THE  MAYOR'S  COMMITTEE 
ON  PAVEMENTS 

To  THE  HON.  WM.  J.  GAYNOR,  MAYOR. 

Dear  Sir:  At  the  request  of  a  joint  Committee  representing  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce  of  New  York,  The  Merchants'  Association  of  New  York,  the 
Board  of  Transportation  of  New  York  and  the  Automobile  Club  of  America, 
we  were  appointed  by  Your  Honor  a  Committee  to  report  on  the  present  con- 
dition of  the  pavements  and  to  make  suggestions  for  their  improvement ;  our 
work,  therefore,  naturally  divides  itself  into  two  parts,  one  relating  to  the 
present  and  the  other  to  the  future. 


1ST  PART.— PRESENT  CONDITION  OF  THE  PAVEMENTS 

The  pavements  of  the  City  are  and  probably  always  have  been  very  in- 
ferior to  those  of  the  first  class  cities  of  the  old  world.  How  unnecessarily 
bad  they  are  at  the  present  time  can  only  be  fully  realized  by  one  who  has 
carefully  compared  them  with  the  pavements  of  the  chief  cities  of  Europe, 
and  notably  those  of  England  and  Germany. 

Many  of  our  pavements,  and  especially  those  which  are  much  used  for 
heavy  trucking,  are  in  a  condition  injurious  alike  to  the  health  and  economic 
welfare  of  the  community ;  they  are  rough,  uneven,  often  broken  and  ob- 
structed, expensive  to  clean  and  impossible  to  clean  properly ;  they  are  incon- 
venient to  use ;  excessively  costly  to  maintain  and  are  altogether  a  serious 
handicap  on  the  prosperity  of  the  City.  To  continue  the  building  of  more 
of  the  same  kind  would  be  most  unwise  and  wasteful. 

We  do  not  wish  to  be  understood  as  making  an  indiscriminate  con- 
demnation. There  are  several  hundreds  of  miles  of  pavements  in  the 
various  boroughs  which  are  fairly  good,  but  they  are  for  the  most  part 
either  newly  laid  or  on  streets  where  traffic  is  light. 

A  careful  study  of  the  methods  used  in  the  making  and  maintenance 
of  our  pavements  has  revealed  conditions  which  abundantly  explain  why 
they  are  so  bad.  They  are  as  follows : 

1.  Defective, and  antiquated  specifications  and  obsolete  methods. 

(See  Appendix  "Defective  Methods"  and  the  report 
of  the  Sub-Committee  on  "Present  Condition  of  Pave- 
ments.") 

2.  Slovenly  and  careless  workmanship. 

(See  Appendix  "Defective  Methods.") 


2  REPORT    OF    COMMITTEE. 

3.  Divided  "responsibility,   there   being   no   one   responsible    head   over 
all  public  works  in  each  of  the  boroughs. 

(Sec  Appendix  "Divided  Responsibility"  and  the 
reports  of  the  Sub-Committee  on  "Present  Condition  of 
Pavements"  and  on  "Inconvenience  to  Public.") 

4.  Insufficient  supervision. 

(See  Appendix  "Engineering,"  "Inspection"  and 
"Defective  Methods.") 

5.  Interference  by  one  department  of  the  City  government  with  another 
in  street  work. 

(See  Appendix  "Divided  Responsibility"  and  the 
reports  of  the  Sub-Committee  on  "Inconvenience  to 
Public" ;  "Control  of  Street  Openings  and  Repairs"; 
"Present  Methods  of  Administration  a-nd  Their  Defects." 

6.  Lack  of  co-operation  between  the  City  and  railroad  Companies,  in 
regard  to  that  part  of  the  pavements  for  which  the  latter  are  responsible. 

(See  Appendix  "The  Street  Railways  and  the  Pave- 
ments"; also  reports  of  the  Sub-Committee  on  "Present 
Condition  of  Pavements" ;  "Control  of  Street  Openings 
and  Repairs.") 

7.  Delay  in  making  repairs  and  in  closing  street  openings. 

(See  report  of  Sub-Committee  on  "Inconvenience  to 
Public";  "Control  of  Street  Openings  and  Repairs,"  and 
"Present  Condition  of  Pavement";  also  Appendix 
"Street  Openings,  Guarantees  and  Repairs.") 

8.  Lack  of  a  properly  qualified   force  of  Inspectors  and  assistants  to 
the  engineers  in  charge  of  pavements. 

(See  report  of  Sub-Committee  on  "Control  of  Street 
Openings  and  Repairs";  also  Appendix  "Inspection.") 

9.  Very  little  knowledge  among  our  engineers,  of  the  most  approved 
modern  methods  of  paving  as  carried  on  in  places  outside  of  the  United 
States. 

(See  report  of  the  Sub-Committee  on  "Present  Meth- 
ods of  Administration  and  Their  Defects,"  and  Appendix 
"Engineering.") 

10.  The  system  of  long  guarantees,  for  the  maintenance  of  pavements  by 
contractors,  which  hinders  prompt  repairs. 

(See  report  of  the  Sub-Committee  on  "Inconvenience 
to  the  Public,"  and  on  "The  Control  of  Street  Openings 
and  Repairs,"  and  the  Appendix  "Street  Openings,  Guar- 
antees and  Repairs.") 

11.  An  almost  complete  lack  of  traffic  statistics  upon  which  to  base  an 
intelligent  estimate  of  the  value  of  the  various  kinds  of  pavement  usi-d. 

(See  Appendix  "Statistics  of  Traffic.") 


REPORT   OF   COMMITTEE.  3 

12.  No  proper  system  in  force  for  determining  by  tests  the  value  of 
many  of  the  materials  used  in  paving  and  notably  so  as  regards  Granite  and 
Asphalt. 

(See  Appendix  "Statistics  of  Traffic.") 

13.  Restrictive  specifications,  especially  as  regards  Asphalt,  which  has 
prevented  genuine  competition  and  given  to  one  interest  a  monoply  in  the 
making  and  repair  of  asphalt  pavements  in  Manhattan. 

(See  Appendix  "Cost  of  Pavements.") 

14.  Too  much  license  given  to  builders  in  the  use  of  the  street  in  front 
of  new  buildings  which  results  in  great  hindrance  to  traffic  and  damage  to  the 
pavements. 

(See  report  of  Sub-Committee  on  "Control  of  Street 
Openings"  and  "Repairs";  also  in  the  Appendix  "Im- 
proper Use  of  the  Streets  by  Private  Interests.") 

15.  The  blockading  or  cumbering  of  the  streets  by  other  private  in- 
terests, and  by  snow,  which  under  the  present  system  of  removal  cannot  be 
disposed  of  rapidly. 

(See  report  of  Sub-Committee  on  "Snozv  Removal 
and  Gutter  Flushing" ;  also  in  the  Appendix-  "Improper 
Use  of  the  Streets  by  Private  Interests.") 

16  No  uniform  standard  or  specification  for  the  various  types  of  pave- 
ment for  all  the  boroughs ;  but  in  each  borough  the  engineer  in  charge  of 
highways  prepares  his  own  specifications  for  street  work  which  may  or  may 
not  be  as  good  as  those  of  some  other  borough. 

(See  report  of  Sub-Committee  on  "The  Present 
Methods  of  Administration  and  Their  Defects.") 

The  conditions  as  enumerated  have  come  about  partly  through  inher- 
itance, and  partly  through  the  general  lack  of  special  knowledge  of  paving 
and  the  scant  attention  which  has  been  paid  to  this  important  subject  by 
our  technical  schools.  Habit  too,  has  played  an  important  part.  Our  people 
are  used  to  pavements  of  the  kind  we  have,  and  few  of  them  realize  how 
much  behind  the  rest  of  the  world  we  are  in  this  respect.  Our  engineers 
are  not  altogether  to  blame  ;  City  officials  have  often  disregarded  their  advice, 
and  many  recommendations  for  improvement  made  by  them  have  yielded  no 
fruit  for  that  reason. 

All  these  matters  have  been  investigated  and  considered  by  this  Com- 
mittee, and  many  of  them  are  dealt  with  at  length  in  the  Appendix,  which 
is  made  a  part  of  this  Report,  and  the  Reports  of  the  Sub-Committees  which 
are  attached  hereto. 

2ND  PART.-RECOMMENDATIONS 

We  respectfully  submit  the  following : 

i.     That  all  work  which  has  to  do  with  the  laying,  opening  and  restoring 


4  REPORT    OF   COMMITTEE. 

of  pavements  which  is  carried  on  within  the  limits  of  any  borough,  includ- 
ing transverse  roads  on  streets  through  parks;  but  excepting  driveways 
within  the  area  of  parks,  be  placed  exclusively  in  the  hands  of  the  President 
of  that  Borough,  so  that  there  may  be  one  responsible  head  over  such  work, 
and  thus  remove  all  cause  for  disagreement  and  lack  of  co-operation  between 
the  different  departments  of  the  government.  Experience  has  shown  that 
the  provision  contained  in  Sec.  391  of  the  Charter  which  gives  to  the 
Borough  President  within  his  borough,  control  over  the  making  of  openings 
in  streets  and  repairing  of  the  pavement,  etc.,  is  inoperative  in  practice,  al- 
though by  law  he  has  that  power.  (See  report  of  the  Sub-Committee  on  the 
Control  of  Street  Openings  and  Repairs.)  In  practice  the  issuing  of 
permits  without  conditions  as  to  the  opening  and  restoring  of  the  pave- 
ments by  other  departments,  is  simply  a  form  and  does  no  practical  good. 
If  all  work  affecting  the  pavements  were  wholly  in  the  hands  of  the  Borough 
President  then  there  would  be  no  doubt  as  to  where  the  responsibility  lay 
for  failure  to  do  the  work  properly. 

(Sec  report  of  the  Sub-Committee  on  the  "Present 
Methods  of  Administration  and  Their  Defects,"  and 
Appendix  "Divided  Responsibility.") 

2.  That  there  be  a  complete  reversal  of  the  policy  of  the  City  in  regard 
to  pavements,  and  that  ultimate  economy  rather  than  cheapness  be  made 
the  governing  consideration  in   their  construction  and   maintenance.     We 
are  firmly  of  the  belief  that  the  very  best  quality  of  materials  and  the  very 
highest  grade  of  workmanship  should  be  used  in  making  pavements.    We  also 
believe  that  the  pavement  best  suited  to  the  traffic  it  is  to  bear  will  prove 
the  most  economical  to  the  City,  regardless  of  first  cost.     It  is  manifestly 
unreasonable   to   expect  good   results   from   poor   workmanship,   unsuitable 
materials  and  defective  methods  of  construction ;  and  it  is  equally  clear  that 
if  good  results  are  to  be  obtained  in  paving  they  can  be  had  only  by  the 
use  of  the  same  methods  which  insure  them  in  all  other  kinds  of  construc- 
tion, viz. :  good  material  and  workmanship,  honest  dealing,  skillful  design 
and  intelligent  supervision. 

(See  report  of  the  Sub-Committee  on  the  various 
types  of  pavement  in  general  use,  their  cost  and  suit- 
ability to  various  classes  of  traffic,  and  the  Appendix 
"Economy  and  First  Cost." ) 

3.  That  the  City  make  its  own  purchases  of  all  materials  used  in  pav- 
ing direct  from  the  producer,  and  thus  obtain  better  prices  and  a  better 
quality  than  it  now  gets.    This  plan  would  permit  of  the  supervision  of  ma- 
terials before  delivery,  and  remove  the  temptation  which  the  contractor  now 
has  to  benefit  by  the  use  of  poor  ones.    The  City  can  make  purchases  of  this 
sort  more  advantageously  than  the  contractor,  because  its  credit  is  higher 
than  his,  but  the  contractor  can  deal  better  with  labor  than  the  City  can. 

(See  Appendix  "Granite  Paving  Blocks.") 


REPORT    OF    COMMITTEE.  5 

4.  That  those  in  charge  of  street  work,  and  especially  the  chief  en- 
gineers of  highways  in  the  various  boroughs,  be  sent  abroad  to  study  the 
paving  methods  in  use  in  the  principal  cities,  and  to  obtain  information 
which  may  be  of  use  to  them  and  of  benefit  to  us  in  the  improvement  of 
our  pavements. 

(See  Appendix  "Engineering" ;  "Statistics  of  Traffic" ; 
"Economy  and  First  Cost,"  and  "The  Advantage  of 
Good  Pavements.") 

5.  That  those  methods  which  they  find  have  given  the  best  results  in 
foreign  cities,  be  adopted,  so  far  as  practical,  for  our  use  at  once,  and  without 
the  loss  of  time  and  money  which  would  be  necessary  in  carrying  out  art 
elaborate  system  of  experiment  to  discover  what  is  well  known  elsewhere. 

(See  Appendix  "Economy  and  First  Cost"  "En- 
gineering" and  "Statistics  of  Traffic") 

6.  That  the  engineers  be  furnished  with  a  competent  corps  of  assistants, 
preferably  young  graduates  from  our  engineering  schools,  who  may  bring 
to  the  work  new  life  and  interest  and  from  whose  ranks  the  upper  grades 
in  the  service  may  in  time  be  supplied. 

(See  Appendix  "Inspection.") 

7.  That  steps  be  taken  immediately  to  insure  the  obtaining  of  reliable 
statistics  of  traffic  and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  value  of  the  different 
materials  used  in  paving  without  which  intelligent  work  is  impossible. 

(See  Appendix  "Statistics  of  Traffic.") 

8.  That  all  street  openings  be  made  and  closed  by  the  City  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  person  for  whom  the  opening  is  made,  and  that  this  be  done 
with  the  greatest  possible  despatch,  and  on  all  important  streets,  as  far  as 
possible,  at  night.      Any  unnecessary  delay  in  doing  the  work  for  which 
the  street  was  opened  by  the  person  for  whom  the  opening  was  made,  should 
be  visited  with  a  heavy  fine. 

(See  reports  of  Sub-Committee  on  "Control  of  Street 
Openings  and  Repairs";  "Present  Methods  of  Admin- 
istration and  Their  Defects";  also  Appendix  "Street 
Openings  and  Repairs.") 

9.  That  all  repairs  to  pavements  be  made  by  the  City,  and  that  each 
borough  have  an  adequate  repair  plant. 

(See  reports  of  the  Sub-Committees  on  "Control  of 
Street  Openings  and  Repairs";  "Present  Methods  of 
Administration  and  Their  Defects";  also  Appendix 
"Street  Openings,  Guarantees  and  Repairs.") 

10.  That  all  future  guarantees  for  maintenance,  if  any  are  made,  be 
either  on  the  German  plan, — the  contractor  agreeing  to  maintain  the  pave- 
ment at  an  annual  progressive  rate  of  payment  per  square  yard,  to  be  paid 
to  him  in  each  of  the  years  of  the  guarantee, — or  else  that  the  necessary 


6  REPORT   OF   COMMITTEE. 

repairs  be  done  by  the  City  at  the  contractor's  expense  according  to  a  fixed 
rate  per  square  yard ;  the  City  being  adequately  secured. 

(See  Appendix  "Street  Openings,  Guarantees  and 
Repairs" ;  also  reports  of  Sub-Committees  on  "Incon- 
venience to  the  Public"  and  on  "Control  of  Street  Open- 
ings and  Repairs.") 

n.  That  in  the  construction  of  future  pavements,  all  the  defects  pointed 
out  under  the  heading  of  Defective  Methods  in  the  Appendix  be  avoided, 
and  that  the  new  pavements  be  built  as  far  as  practicable,  in  accordance  with 
the  recommendations  contained  in  said  Appendix. 

12.  That  all  dead  and  unnecessary  tracks  be  removed  from  the  streets. 

(Sec  Appendix  "The  Street  Railway  Companies  and 
the  Pavements.") 

13.  That  the  street  railroad  companies  be  governed  by  the  same  rules 
which  apply  to  individuals  in  the  opening  and  closing  of  pavements. 

14.  That  all   future  manholes  be  constructed  in  accordance  with   an 
approved  design  and  be  set  perfectly  flush  with  the  pavement  and  the  covers 
flush  with  the  rims. 

(See  report  of  Sub-Committee  on  "Present  Condition 
of  Pavements,"  and  Appendix  "Defective  Methods." 

15.  That  more  stringent  regulations  than  now  exist  be  established  for  the 
use  of  the  street  by  contractors  for  the  storage  of  building  material ;  by  the 
transportation  companies  for  the  storage  of  merchandise  and  by  the  push- 
cart men  in  peddling  their  wares. 

(See  report  of  Sub-Committee  on  the  "Present  Meth- 
ods of  Administration  and  Their  Defects" ;  also  the 
Appendix  "Improper  Use  of  the  Streets  by  Private 
Interests.") 

1 6.  That  a  trial  on  a  large  enough  scale  to  prove  conclusive,  be  made 
of  the  sewers  for  the  removal  of  snow  without  the  use  of  carts,  and  if 
successful,  that  this  system  be  extended  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

(See  report  of  the  Sub-Committee  on  "Snow  Re- 
moval and  Gutter  Flushing.") 

17.  That  a  trial  be  made  of  the  French  method  of  flushing  out  gutters 
daily  with  a  view  to  its  general  introduction  here. 

(See  report  of  the  Sub-Committee  on  "Snow  Re- 
moval and  Gutter  Flushing.") 

18.  That  the  kinds  of  pavement  hereafter  used  for  the  different  streets 
and  the  plan  for  their  arrangement  conform  to  the  recommendations  of  the 
Sub-Committee  on  "The  Kinds  of  Pavements  in  General   Use  and  Their 
Suitability  for  the  Different  Classes  of  Traffic"  and  which  forms  a  part  of 
this  report. 

(See  Appendix  "The  Suitability  of  Different  Types 
of  Pavement  for  the  Different  Classes  of  Traffic.") 


REPORT    OF    COMMITTEE.  7 

19.  That  there  be  a  paving  board  consisting  of  the  chief  engineer  of 
the  Boa/d  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment  (who  shall  act  as  President),  and 
the  engineer  in  charge  of  highways  of  each  of  the  boroughs,  whose  duty  it 
shall  be  to  standardize  specifications  relating  to  all  work  which  has  to  do  with 
the  pavements  throughout  the  city  to  determine  the  quality  of  the  materials 
used  and  to  establish  such  standards  of  workmanship  and  methods  of  con- 
struction as  may  seem  to  them  best  calculated  to  insure  pavements  of  the 
greatest  ultimate  economy  and  the  most  satisfactory  service  to  the  public. 

20.  That  the  necessary  steps  be  taken  by  legislation  and  the  revision  of 
methods  in  departmental  procedure,   to  carry  these  recommendations  into 
effect.     To  which  end,  with  regard  to  those  which  most  require  legislation 
we  annex  a  series  of  draft  bills  at  the  end  of  this  document : 

(a)  Amendment  of  the  present  City  Charter  as  to  Sec.  391  re- 
lating to  permits  for  removal  of  pavements,  and  the  relay- 
ing of  the  same,  annexed  and  marked "A" 

(b)  Amendment  of  the  same  by  the  addition  of  a  new  Section 
39 1 -A  relative  to  inspection  of  pavements,  annexed  and 
marked    "B" 

(c)  Amendment  of  Chapter  X  of  the  same  by  the  addition  of 
a  new  title  with  four  sections,  providing  for  the  creation  of 
a  paving  board  to  have  power  to  prescribe  standard  forms 
of  contracts  and   specifications   relating  to  paving,  etc., 
annexed  and  marked    "C" 

(d)  Amendment  to  Section  178  of  the  Railroad  Law  relative 
to  paving  by  surface  railways  so  as  to  shorten  notice  to 
five  days,  annexed  and  marked "D" 

The  above  recommendations  are  the  result  of  a  careful  study  of  this 
whole  matter  and  represent  a  great  deal  of  work  and  thought  by  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Committee  during  the  last  three  months.  The  information  upon 
which  we  base  our  conclusions  will  be  found  in  the  following  Appendix  and 
in  the  reports  of  the  Sub-Committees  which  are  attached  hereto. 

We  feel  it  incumbent  upon  us  to  *tate  that  while  in  our  opinion  sub- 
stantial improvement  will  follow  from  the  immediate  adoption  of  our  recom- 
mendations, much  in  matters  of  important  detail  still  remains  to  be  con- 
sidered. We  therefore  suggest  that  the  Committee  be  continued  to  make 
such  other  reports  as,  in  its  judgment,  may  be  required,  or  may  be 
requested  by  you  in  the  premises. 

Respectfully  submitted  by  the  Committee, 

ERNEST  FLAGG, 

Vice-Chairman. 


APPENDIX 


THE  KINDS  OF  PAVEMENT  IN  USE 

Information  furnished  by  the  City  shows  that  at  the  beginning  of  1911  there  were 
in  the  various  boroughs  2,096.90  miles  of  pavements  of  all  kinds,  exclusive  of  those 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Park,  Dock  and  Bridge  Departments,  divided  as  follows: — 

Eight  hundred  miles  of  macadam,  864  miles  of  block  and  sheet  asphalt,  355  miles 
of  granite  and  trap  block,  and  86  miles  of  other  kinds,  distributed  as  follows : 


Manhattan 

Kind  of  Pavement  Miles 

Granite  and  Trap  Block 

without  foundation   ...         22.11 
Granite  Block  with  con- 
crete  foundation    86.98 

Brick    

Wood  Block   14.30 

Sheet   Asphalt    260.59 

Block  Asphalt  52.99 

Macadam    . . ". 4.63 

Not  classified 

Cobble   Stone    . 


Brooklyn     Bronx     Queens     Richmond 
Miles        Miles        Miles          Miles 


140.73          38.89        34.03 


3.20 


Total 
Miles 

238.96 


27.24 

2.69 

Il6.9I 

2.42 

•74 

9-93 

4.24 

17-33 

2.22 

3-40 

5-71 

1.32 

26.95 

394-76 

38.74 

20.35 

-46 

714.90 

26.29 

49-99 

10.26 

9-53 

149.06 

1  10.08 

146.70 

335-52 

194.12 

79L05 

10.85 

1.83 

9-38 

10.22 

32.28 

9.46 

9.46 

Total    441. ( 


724.05        280.29      425.18          225.78        2,096.90 


THE  SUITABILITY  OF  DIFFERENT  TYPES  OF  PAVEMENT 
FOR  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  TRAFFIC 

Sheet  and  block  asphalt  and  wood  block  pavements  are  so  much  alike  in  their  gen- 
eral characteristics  that  almost  any  traffic  suitable  for  one  is  equally  suitable  for 
another,  and  it  would  therefore  seem  that  ultimate  economy  alone  should  govern  in 
choosing  between  them.  These  pavements  are  only  proper  for  streets  where  traffic  is 
not  of  the  heaviest  type;  their  chief  advantages  are:  comparative  noiselessness  and 
superior  sanitary  qualities  owing  to  the  facility  with  which  they  can  be  kept  clean. 
Their  disadvantages  are  their  comparative  short  life  and  the  poor  foothold  which  they 
afford  to  horses.  !  «l  *i  'I 

This  latter  consideration  is  very  important.  No  truckman  with  a  horse  drawn  load 
will  use  them  when  wet,  if  it  is  possible  to  do  otherwise,  and  team  drivers  will 
often  make  long  detours  to  find  granite  pavements,  even  of  the  poor  type  which  we 
have,  rather  than  use  streets  paved  with  asphalt  or  wood.  Drivers  of  heavy  teams  will 
also  almost  always  keep  to  the  railroad  tracks  on  streets  where  the  pavement  between 
them  is  of  granite  block,  rather  than  to  use  the  smoother  material  with  which  the  rest 
of  the  roadway  is  covered,  and  great  injury  to  the  pavement  is  caused  thereby. 
Asphalt  has  the  additional  disadvantage  of  becoming  soft  in  hot  weather,  in  which  con- 
dition its  tractive  qualities  are  impaired. 


I0  APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 

GRANITE  BLOCK  PAVEMENTS  : 

So  long  as  traffic  conditions  remain  about  as  they  are  at  present,  it  would  seem  that 
all  streets  where  much  heavy  trucking  is  done  should  be  paved  with  granite. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  traffic  conditions  are  about  to  change.  The 
automobile  is  destined  to  supplant  the  horse  almost  entirely  in  cities,  and  it  is  probable 
that  this  change  is  not  so  far  distant  as  many  of  us  may  think.  With  the  machine 
driven  vehicles  will  come  heavier  loads  than  it  is  practicable  to  carry  with  horses  and 
our  future  pavements  must  have  more  substantial  foundations  than  are  now  thought 
necessary  in  order  to  sustain  these  greater  weights  and  heavier  usage.  Fortunately, 
almost  any  kind  of  wearing  surface  is  suitable  for  the  automobile,  provided  it  is  suffi- 
ciently smooth,  so  the  convenience  of  the  horse  may  still  be  the  governing  factor  in  its 
choice. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  rapidity  with  which  traffic  conditions  are  changing,  we 
need  only  say  that  a  few  years  ago  a  stone  pavement  would  have  been  entirely  unsuited 
to  Fifth  Avenue  on  account  of  the  noise.  To-day  a  smooth  stone  pavement  would  not 
be  altogether  so  because  the  horse  has  almost  disappeared  from  that  street — more  than 
eighty  per  cent,  of  the  traffic  being  by  automobiles. 

It  is  altogether  probable  that  stone  pavements  will  assume  a  place  of  greater 
importance  in  the  future  than  they  have  in  the  past  for  several  reasons. 

ist.  Because  we  will  learn  how  to  lay  them  in  the  English  way,  so  that  they  will  be 
almost  as  smooth  and  pleasant  to  use  as  any  other  pavement. 

2nd.  Because  when  properly  laid  and  of  the  right  material  they  will  be  found  to  be, 
by  far,  the  most  economical  pavements  to  use,  and 

3rd.  Because  when  so  made,  they  are  as  well  suited  to  motor  vehicles  as  to  horse- 
drawn  ones. 

SMALL  STONE  CUBES  : 

This  is  a  kind  of  pavement  as  yet  untried  here,  but  which  is  being  extensively  used 
in  Europe.  Germany  has  found  it  profitable  to  cover  hundreds  of  miles  of  her  roads 
with  it,  the  old  macadam  being  used  as  the  foundation.  Pavements  of  this  sort  are 
less  noisy  than  brick,  almost  as  smooth,  less  slippery,  less  expensive  and  much  more 
durable.  There  is  undoubtedly  a  great  future  for  them  and  we  should  lose  no  time 
in  introducing  them  here,  for  they  would  fill  a  much  felt  want  by  giving  us  a  durable 
and  comparatively  cheap  pavement  for  roads  of  fairly  heavy  traffic. 

Mr  Brodie,  speaking  of  an  experimental  pavement  of  this  general  type  at  Liver- 
pool, says :  "The  whole  surface  has  been  laid  on  a  6  inch  concrete  foundation,  so  that 
there  may  be  no  settlement;  and  as  experience  has  already  shown  that  there  is  no 
possibility  of  side  movement  even  with  sharp  or  triangular  stones  embedded  in  the 
pitch  mixture,  it  would  appear  that  the  conditions  of  the  full-sized  set  paving  have 
been  arrived  at  as  nearly  as  possible  in  the  cheaper  coating.  Assuming,  as  may  well 
be  the  case,  that  such  a  pavement  should  have  a  life  of  thirty  years  under  the  average 
conditions  of  traffic  on  country  roads,  it  would  appear  that  a  cheap  and  durable  surface 
coating  may  in  this  way  be  obtained."  (See  Figs,  i  and  2.) 

ORDINARY  MACADAM  PAVEMENTS: 

These  are  only  suitable  for  country  roads  and  for  streets  in  the  newer  parts  of  the 
City  where  traffic  is  very  light  and  where  the  property  values  will  not  warrant  a 
pavement  of  a  more  substantial  type.  When  laid  with  brick  gutters  and  cement  curbs 
they  present  a  very  attractive  appearance.  As  traffic  becomes  heavier  in  such  places 
they  could  be  advantageously  covered  with  a  wearing  surface  of  "durax,"  which  is  so 
much  used  in  Europe,  the  old  macadam  forming  the  foundation.  (See  Fig.  3.) 


APPENDIX   TO   REPORT. 


ii 


/.-/£.   1.— Pavement  of  small  granite  cubes  recently  laid   in  Liverpool  with   a   concrete   foundation   and 

a  bed   of  granite   chips   which   become   thoroughly   impregnated   with   the   pitch   grout.      These 

blocks    measure    only    2l/4    inches    each    way.      Note    the    one-foot    rule    lying    on    the 

surface,  also  the  lack  of  any  crowning  between  the  rails  and   the  care  with 

which    the    surface    of    the    pavement   is   kept    flush    with    the    rails. 


^:V^z^/-.;^inUv^Uv\\\v 


Fig.   2. — The  pavement  shown  in   i  is.    *   u 

plugged  with  small  granite  chips.     A  pavement  of  this  kind  is  •* 
over,  and  when  properly  made  is  probably  the  most  econo 


Fig.  1  being  grouted  with  pitch.  Note  that  the  joints  have 
ps.  A  pavement  of  this  kind  is  very  smooth  and  pleasant  to  ri 
nade  is  probably  the  most  economical  kind  that  can  be  built. 


have   been 
de 


APPKXDIX    TO    REPORT 


Pig.   3. — Pavement  known   as    Durax.      Tlie   blocks   are   very   small,   the   largest   dimension   being   only 
about   3   inches.     They  are  often   laid  on  an  old   macadamized   road  as  a  foundation. 


BITUMINOUS  MACADAM  PAVEMENTS: 

Roadways  of  this  sort  occupy  a  place  midway  between  the  ordinary  macadam,  or 
what  is  here  called  water  bound  macadam,  and  asphalt.  They  cost  not  much  more 
than  half  as  much  as  an  asphalt  pavement  with  its  foundation,  and  if  properly  made 
and  maintained,  will  give  almost  as  good  service  in  places  where  traffic  is  light,  but 
the  success  of  this  kind  of  road  is  peculiarly  dependent  upon  prompt  repair.  The 
secret  of  the  success  of  the  fine  macadam  roads  of  Europe  lies  in  the  continuous 
repairs  which  they  receive — repairs  which  commence  with  the  laying  of  the  road  and 
which  are  continued  daily  as  long  as  it  is  in  place.  The  little  success  which  we  have 
with  such  roads  is  largely  due  to  the  neglect  of  this  requirement.  This  necessity  for 
continuous  repairs  applies  with  equal  force  to  the  ordinary  macadam  and  to  bituminous 
macadam  roads,  the  only  difference  being  that  with  the  bituminous  macadam  the 
defects  do  not  develop  so  rapidly  and  are  not  so  numerous. 

There  are  two  general  ways  of  making  bituminous  macadam  pavements,  each  of 
which  has  its  advocates.  By  one  method  the  bituminous  material  is  mixed  with  the 
stone  before  it  is  put  in  place,  and  by  the  other  the  stone  is  impregnated  with  it  after 
it  is  in  place.  Excellent  pavements  have  been  made  in  both  ways,  but  by  the  latter  plan 
much  more  care  is  required  and  there  is  greater  chance  of  failure.  This  is  a  matter 
for  the  engineers  to  work  out. 

Macadam  roads  of  the  ordinary  type  are  often  treated  with  more  or  less  success 
by  the  use  of  heavy  oils  or  bituminous  mixtures  spread  on  the  surface  and  covered 
with  grit.  Excellent  results  may  be  attained  in  this  way  under  proper  maintenance, 
but  the  maintenance  to  be  effective  must  be  of  the  kind  which  we  do  not  have;  that  is 
to  say,  continuous.  The  bituminous  mixture  with  the  grit  forms  a  sort  of  carpet  or 
crust  over  the  stone  bed,  and,  if  always  maintained  intact,  will  preserve  it  for  a  very 
long  time;  but  all  depressions  must  be  filled  as  soon  as  they  appear  and  the  crust  must 
never  be  allowed  to  wear  through. 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 


Fig.   3- A. — Machin 


Machine  used  for  cutting  Durax.     The  small  irregular  cubes  used  in  making  this  kind  of 
pavement  are  the  only   paving  stones  which  can  be  cut  by   machinery,  thus 
making   it   the   cheapest   stone    pavement   there    is. 


14  APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 

VITRIFIED  BRICK  AND  SLAG  BLOCK  PAVEMENTS  : 

During  the  last  two  or  three  years,  imported  slag  blocks  have  been  used  here,  notably 
in  Richmond.  They  are  very  expensive  and  make  a  good  pavement  when  properly  laid. 
They  have  not  been  in  use  here  long  enough  to  permit  of  a  correct  estimate  of  their 
value,  but  the  present  indications  of  wear  do  not  seem  to  warrant  their  high  cost. 

Vitrified  brick  when  properly  made  serves  fairly  well  for  pavements  of  moderate 
traffic,  but  it  is  noisy  and  its  durability  so  uncertain  that  we  cannot  recommend  it 
except  for  special  cases. 

DEFECTIVE  METHODS. 

Members  of  the  Committee  visited  all  the  Boroughs  to  investigate  the  various  kinds 
of  pavement  in  general  use  with  a  view  to  ascertaining  their  relative  suitability  and 
economy;  to  study  the  methods  employed  in  their  construction,  and  to  take  note  of 
such  defects  as  seemed  to  be  typical  of  bad  methods  of  construction  or  maintenance. 
Attention  was  paid  chiefly  to  those  pavements  which  had  been  most  recently  laid  and 
which  afforded  the  best  examples  of  the  kind  now  most  approved  by  the  City  officials. 

The  older  pavements  where  traffic  was  at  all  heavy  were  uniformly  found  to  be  in  a 
deplorable  condition  and  the  newer  ones  showed  unmistakable  signs  of  speedy  decay. 
The  reasons  for  these  conditions  are  perfectly  apparent  to  any  one  who  is  acquainted 
with  the  best  European  methods  of  paving  and  the  remedy  equally  plain. 

Perhaps  the  chief  cause  for  our  backwardness  in  this  matter  is  due  to  provincialism. 
Our  specifications  have  been  antiquated  and  our  methods  primitive.  Processes  have 
been  used  which  have  long  been  obsolete  in  the  first-class  cities  of  Europe;  few  of 
our  engineers  have  ever  been  abroad  and  have  little  knowledge  of  what  is  being  done 
except  at  home.  They  are  used  to  the  slovenly  workmanship  of  our  contractors  and 
seem  to  accept  it  as  something  beyond  their  control. 

One  of  the  chief  defects  of  our  pavements  is  insufficient  foundation. 

In  the  Manhattan  specification  there  has  been  no  satisfactory  provision  for  consoli- 
dating the  soil  after  the  ground  has  been  trimmed  and  graded  to  receive  the  concrete; 
some  of  the  engineers  holding  that  where  a  street  has  been  in  constant  use  and  the  pave- 
ment is  to  be  relaid  the  soil  is  sufficiently  consolidated  already  by  the  traffic  and  that 
there  is  no  use  of  tamping  or  rolling  it.  This  is  not  always  true.  Pipes  are  often 
laid  before  the  pavement  is  put  down  and  the  loose  soil  which  is  caused  by  trimming 
and  grading  should  most  certainly  be  carefully  consolidated  to  receive  the  foundation. 
Any  one  can  understand  that  if  there  is  unequal  settlement  the  foundation  must 
crack,  and  if  part  of  the  ground  is  firm  and  part  soft,  failures  will  surely  occur. 
There  are  innumerable  places  throughout  the  City  where  the  street  foundation  has 
failed,  and  we  believe  that  many  such  failures  have  been  caused  by  this  neglect  to 
properly  consolidate  the  soil  before  laying  the  concrete.  It  should  not  be  necessary 
to  argue  about  so  fundamental  a  principle.  The  concrete  of  which  the  foundation  is 
made  is  often  of  a  very  poor  quality;  we  saw  some  being  removed  by  the  use  of 
a  pickaxe  which  was  so  soft  that  the  pick  entered  an  inch  or  more  at  every  stroke ; 
even  where  the  materials  are  good  the  mixing  and  placing  is  so  slovenly  done  that  the 
result  is  bad. 

We  saw  foundations  in  White  Street  which  had  been  down  several  days.  The 
surface  was  so  rough  and  uneven  that  at  places  there  was  a  difference  in  level  of  an 
inch  in  one  foot  of  surface,  at  others  we  were  able  to  dig  holes  in  it  two  inches  deep 
with  a  small  stick.  In  Baxter  Street  we  saw  new  concrete  which  was  even  rougher 
than  that  already  mentioned ;  the  surface  was  full  of  depressions  of  from  one  to  one 
and  one-half  inches  deep ;  and  at  one  place  one  of  us  dug  a  hole  four  inches  deep  in 
concrete  seven  days  old  with  the  toe  of  his  shoe.  Several  blocks  further  along  the 


APPENDIX   TO    REPORT.  15 

same  street  we  saw  the  concrete  being  mixed  and  put  in  place.  On  one  side  of  the 
mixer  were  eight  men  throwing  in  stone  and  on  the  other  two  men  throwing  in  sand. 
The  sand  and  cement  were  being  forced  in  by  screws  presumably  in  the  proper 
proportions,  but  there  appeared  to  be  no  attempt  to  measure  the  stone.  We  saw  the 
City's  Inspector.  He  said  the  only  gauge  was  his  eyes;  he  thought  he  could  tell  near 
enough  in  that  way  whether  the  mixture  was  right.  The  only  guide  for  the  grading 
was  a  row  of  sticks  driven  in  the  center  of  the  roadway  about  ten  or  twelve  feet 
apart  and  marks  on  the  curbs.  The  ground  where  the  concrete  was  being  laid  was 
little  better  than  a  quagmire,  the  surface  being  all  cut  up  by  the  barrow  wheels  and 
the  depressions  full  of  standing  water.  The  inspector  saw  no  reason  for  consolidating 
the  soil.  The  thickness  of  the  concrete  varied  greatly,  but  the  average  appeared  to  be 
as  much  as  the  specifications  called  for.  The  City  was  doubtless  paying  for  good 
work  and  receiving  the  most  slovenly  kind,  but  probably  quite  as  good  as  usual. 

A  whole  series  of  defects  is  due  to  our  method  of  dealing  with  street  car  tracks. 
One  has  only  to  go  through  any  street  in  the  City  where  tracks  are  laid  to  see  how 
objectionable  they  are — to  see  that  the  pavements  which  abut  them  are  ruined  if  they 
have  been  down  for  any  length  of  time,  and  that  the  new  pavements  show  symptoms  of 
failure  along  the  rails  almost  as  soon  as  laid.  The  reason  for  this  is  due  to  several 
causes : 

i.  The  rails  are  not  flush  with  the  pavement;  thus  a  rut  is  deliberately  made  at 
the  very  place  where  the  greatest  care  and  ingenuity  should  be  used  to  avoid  one,  for 
the  wheels  of  vehicles  naturally  run  in  such  a  rut  and  in  a  short  time  deepen  it.  If 
the  wagon  wheels  are  not  of  the  same  gauge  as  the  track,  one  runs  along  the  rail  and 
the  other  makes  a  rut  outside  of  it.  (See  Figs.  4  and  5.)  It  needs  no  argument  to  show 


Fig.  4.— Pavement  on  West  Street  opposite  the  Whitehall   Building  showing  ruts  along  tracks  and   at 

two   feet  beyond  them.      Note   the   softness   of   the   granite.      The   white   on   the   stones   made 

by    the   powdered    granite    is    so    recent    that    it    has   not    had    time    to    become    dirty, 

and    it   does   not   take   dirt    long   to   accumulate   on    this    street. 


i6 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 


Fig.    5. — Pavement   in   Furman    Street,    Brooklyn.      Typical    example   of   the   destruction    of    pavements 

by   improperly   laid   car  tracks.     The  rut  to   the   right  of  the   right   car  track  is  made  by   the 

right  wheels  of  trucks  whose  left  wheels   run  in  the  left  track;   about  balf  the  wear 

which   the  pavement  receives  on  this  side  of  the  street  is  thus  concentrated 

on  a   strip  about  eight  inches  wide. 


that  the  more  uniform  the  traffic  over  the  whole  surface  the  longer  will  be  the  life  of 
the  pavement. 

2.  The  cavities  at  the  sides  of  the  rails  are  not  properly  filled  with  cement  mortar 
when  the  pavement  is  laid,  and  that  part  of  it  which  abuts  the  rail  has  no  sufficient 
lateral  support  and  is  readily  crushed  or  forced  under  the  rail.    We  will  call  attention, 
later   on,    to   specific   cases   where   this   has   occurred   in  pavements   which   have   been 
finished  only  a  few  weeks. 

3.  The    pavements    are    crowned    between    the    tracks    thus    destroying    the 
proper    contour    of   the    street    surface    and    guiding    wheels    towards    the    tracks, 
the  very  place   where   it   is   most   disastrous    for   them   to    run   and   also    causing 
unnecessary  irregularities  of  the  surface.     (See  Fig.  6.) 

4.  The  tracks   are  not  made  of  a   proper  section,  being  too  wide   and  dished 
out  on  the  upper  surface  making  a  groove  in  which  wheels  of  vehicles  naturally 
run.     (See  Fig.  6.)     Sometimes  the   rails  are  of  the  old-fashioned   strap   kind  laid  on 
wooden  sleepers,  which,  of  course,  greatly  aggravate  the  evil.    (See  Eigs.  /,  8  and  10.) 
This   type   of  rail,   fortunately,   is   fast   going  out.      It   is   certain    that    no   more   of   it 
should  be  allowed  in  any  part  of  any  of  the  Boroughs. 

5.  Asphalt  is   laid   up   to   the   tracks  which   should   never   be   done.     Asphalt 
seldom  abuts   the   rails  in    European   cities.     The   practice  is   condemned  by  the 
highest   authorities    on   paving.     The    movement   of   the    rail    is    certain   to    cause 
leaks  almost  immediately;  and  the  water  which  enters  speedily  disintegrates  the 
asphalt.     The  crowning  between  the  tracks  conducts  the  water  to  these  points  of 
weakness  and  aggravates   the  mischief.     The   tracks   should  be  bordered  with   a 
toothing  of  stone  or  brick  as  is  the  practice  in  Europe.     (See  Eigs.  8  and  g. ) 


APPENDIX   TO    REPORT. 


Fig.   6. — Car   track   at   Fourth   Avenue   and    22d    Street   on   the   new    granite   pavement.      The   unwork- 
manlike character  of  the  pavement  and  the  carelessness   in  the  grading   are   here  illustrated. 
The    rail    is    \l/n    inches   below   the   general    level    and    some   of   the    adjoining   blocks 
project  about  an  inch  above  others.     The  softness  of  the  granite  is 
indicated  by  the  abrasions  on  the  stones. 


F'S-  7. — This  shows  a  car  track  which  must  have  been  set  at  least  3%    inches  below  the  adjoining 

stones,  for  it  is  that  much  below  them  now,  and  they  have  worn  down  considerably  although 

the  pavement  is  comparatively   new.     The   extreme   softness  of  the   granite  can   be 

seen  by  the  appearance  of  the  blocks.     This  is  a  typical  case. 


i8 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 


Fig.  S. — Typical   case   of   car   track   of   the   strap    kind   in    connection   with   an    asphalt   pavement — 17th 

Street  near  4th   Avenue. 


Fig.    9. — Typical    case    of    failure   of    asphalt    along    car    tracks — 4th    Avenue    between    27th    and    28th 

Streets. 


APPENDIX   TO    REPORT. 


Fig.   10. — Car  track  in  front  of   178  .South  Street.     This  shows  a  rut  at  the  side  of  the  rail  3J4   inches 

deep;   partly  due  to   wear  and   partly   to  the   fact  that  the   rail   was   originally   set   more   than 

3  inches  below  the  stone.     The  softness  of  the  granite  can  be  seen  by  the  white  on 

it  which  is  caused  by  the  scraping  away  of  the  surface  by  wheels. 


6.  The  way  the  tracks  are  laid  at  intersections  and  curves  is  ruinous  to  the 
pavement  as  any  one  may  see  for  himself  who  will  take  the  trouble  to  examine 
such    places.      The    tracks    are    laid    with    an    utter    disregard    of    the    convenience 
of  every   one  who  uses   the   streets   except  the   railroad   companies.      On   curves, 
where  it  is  possible  to  do  so,  the  outer  rail  is  raised  with  little  reference  to  the 
contour  of  the  pavement,  but   in   perfect  accord  with   the    supposed  interests   of 
the  railroad  companies.     Such  a  case  may  be  seen  at  the  South  Ferry.      (See   Figs, 
ii  and  12.) 

7.  It  is   the   custom   of  the  railroad   companies   to   pave   the   spaces  between 
the  tracks  with  a  different  kind   of  material  from  that  used   on  the   rest  of  the 
street,  a  highly  objectionable   practice,  as  the   street   surface   should  be   uniform 
in  order  to  insure  uniform  wear. 

8.  It  is  also  the   custom   of  the   Railroad   Companies  to  provide   hand   holes 
at  frequent  intervals — say   10  or   12  feet — on  both   sides   of  the   slot.      These   covers 
are  often  placed  from  a  half  inch  to  an  inch  below  the  level  of  the  pavement 
(see   Fig.    13),    forming   a    series    of    depressions    destructive    to    the   vehicles    which 
use  the  streets  and  to  the  comfort  of  one  riding  over  them. 

Car  tracks  as  laid  here  are  most  detrimental  to  the  City's  interests  and 
certainly  should  not  be  allowed  except  where  absolutely  necessary,  yet  thirty-three 
miles  of  dead  and  unused  tracks  are  in  place;  and  in  certain  streets  such  as  the 
Bowery  and  West  42nd  St.,  there  are  four  tracks  where  two  would  suffice. 
(See  Fig.  14.)  We  are  glad  to  say  that  seven  miles  of  unused  tracks  have  been 
removed  by  the  present  administration. 

It  seems  hardly  necessary  to  specify  locations  where  the  above  defects  are 
apparent;  one  has  only  to  examine  the  pavement  along  the  tracks  on  almost 
any  street  to  see  them. 


20 


APPENDIX    TO   REPORT. 


.    11.— Curved   track   at    South    Ferry.      A   typical    case   illustrating   the    lack   of   uniformity    between 
the  grade  of  the   rails  and  the   street  surface.     Here  the   depression   amounts  to 
an  inch  and  five-eighths  in  a  distance  of  about  two  feet. 


Fig.  12.— Intersection  of  tracks  in  Whitehall  Street  opposite  Front  Street— typical  of  the  small  regard 

paid  by  the  railroad  companies  to  the  convenience  of  the  other  users  of  the  streets. 

Here    one   track    is    a   full    inch    above    another    which    adjoins    it. 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 


F:g.    13. — Hand    hole    adjoining    slot   opposite    290    Broadway.       This    is    typical    of    hundreds    of    the 

same  sort. 


Fig.  14. — Dead  car  track  on  Lafayette  Street  north  of  White  Street.     These  tracks  are  not  in  use,  but 
are  a  great  detriment  to  traffic.     The  rut  beside  the  track  here  shown  is  more  than  2  inches  deep. 


APPENDIX   TO    REPORT. 


/•"/£.  16. — The  top  of  this  cover  is  three  inches  below  the  general  surface  of  the  pavement  and  it  must 

be  a  pretty  strong  wheel  which  can  pass  over  it  with  impunity.     There 

are    hundreds   of    others    like    it. 


I'ig.    17. — Madison    Street    near    New    Bowery, — showing    careless    setting    of    manhole    covers.      One 
corner   is   flush   with   the   pavement   and   the   other    1 '/?    inches   below   it. 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 


18.— Manhole   cover  at   Greenwich   and   Cortlandt   Streets.     The   center   of  this  manhole  is  about 

two  inches  below  the  rim.     It  belongs  to  the  Water  Department.     Every  wheel  which  passes 

over  it  receives  a  heavy  blow.      If  the  City   itself  supplies   covers  of  this  sort,   what 

can   be   expected    of    private    corporations?      This    is    a   typical    case.      There 

are  hundreds  of  others  of  the  same  kind. 


j?jg     19. — Manhole   at   the    corner   of    Fourth    Avenue    and    22d    Street   in    the    new    granite    pavement 

which   was   to   have  been   a  sample   of  good   workmanship.      One   corner  of   one   cover   is    V/2 

inches  below  the  level  of  the  pavement  and  the  other  cover  is  equally  out  of  grade. 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 


Fig.   20.— Manhole   cover    in    Chambers    Street   opposite    the    Court    House.      We    saw    a    loaded    truck 
pass   over   this   hole   with   the   result   shown    in   the   photograph. 


Fig.  -l.-Manhole  cover  opposite  558   Broadway,-the  lid   being  2JJ   inches  below  the   rim.     This  wa« 

by  the  Water  Department.     The  damage  to   running  gear  of  wheels   caused  by   a 
hmg    of   this    sort    can    hardly    be    estimated,    and    that    covers    of    the    kind    should 
be   deliberately   made   would    seem   incredible   were   they   not    in    evidence. 


APPENDIX    TO   REPORT.  25 

Another  conspicuous  defect  and  a  source  of  great  annoyance  and  injury  to 
traffic  is  the  improper  shape  of,  and  careless  way  in  which  the  manhole  covers 
are  set,  the  rims  are  frequently  above  the  pavement  and  the  covers  below  the 
rim.  (See  Figs.  16,  17,  18,  19,  20,  21.)  On  lower  Broadway  cases  can  be  seen  where 
the  covers  arc  from  two  to  two  and  one-half  inches  below  the  rims. 

One  of  the  chief  causes  of  failure  is  due  to  the  general  poor  quality  of  the 
materials  used. 

What  has  been  said  thus  far  applies  to  all  kinds  of  pavement  alike. 

\Ye  will  now  call  attention  to  some  typical  defects  in  pavements  of  the  four 
principal  kinds. 

GRANITE  BLOCK  PAVEMENTS  : 

r\lost  of  the  granite  used  is  of  poor  quality  which  is  far  too  soft  and  quickly 
wears  away.  (See  Figs.  4,  6,  7,  8.)  So  far  as  we  are  able  to  find  out,  there  is  no 
standard  of  toughness  established  by  the  City  and  no  sufficient  test  is  made 
to  find  out  how  a  granite  will  wear  before  it  is  accepted;  but  no  granite,  how- 
ever good,  could  wear  well  under  our  specifications,  for  no  granite  can  wear 
well  unless  the  street  surface  is  smooth,  its  contour  uniform,  and  the  traffic 
well  distributed  over  it;  and  this  is  not  possible  with  our  present  methods  of 
construction.  The  trouble  is  mainly  due  to  the  following  causes  all  of  which 
might  perfectly  well  be  avoided  as  they  have  been  avoided  in  the  best  European 
pavements: 

1.  Stones   too  large   and   uneven   which   causes  them   to  tilt  or  ride. 

2.  Joints  too  wide   caused  by  the   great  irregularities   in   the   size  and   shape 
of  the  blocks,  so  that  the  wagon  wheels  enter  them,  wear  away  the  edges  and 
make  ruts  which  are  destructive  alike  to  pavements  and  vehicles,  a  hindrance  to 
traffic  and  an  unnecessary  cause  of  noise  and  annoyance.     (See  Fig.  22.) 


Fig.  22. — Car  track  on  New  Chambers  Street  east  of  New  Bowery  showing  failure  along  the  car  track, 

depression   being  about   3   inches   in   a   distance   of   4    feet.      Observe   the   great   width 

of  the   joints,   and   the   softness   of  the   granite   shown   by   the   abrasions. 


26  APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 

3.  Too  thick  a  sand  bed  which  is  made  necessary  by  the  roughness  of  the  con- 
crete   surface   of   the    foundation    and    by   the   great   irregularity    in   the   size   of   the 
paving  stones.     This  is  a  most  important  point;  for,  when  the  sand  bed  is  thicker 
than  about  one-half  an  inch  it  is  not  possible  for  the  paver  to  make  a  true  sur- 
face; he  digs  away  the  sand  with  his  paving  tool,  plants  the  block,  and  has  no 
other  gauge  for  the  grade  than  his  eye,  and  when  the  work  is  done  the  surface  is 
necessarily  uneven.     This  is  remedied  in  Europe  by  finishing  the  concrete  foun- 
dation  with   smoothing  irons    (see  Fig.  24)    and   shaping  it  carefully  by  the   use   of 
templates  (see  Fig.  25),  to  the  exact  contour  of  the  street.      Upon  this  perfectly  true 
surface  is  spread  a  half-inch  bed  of  fine  gravel ;  with  blocks  far  smaller  than  we  use, 
of  an  almost  uniform  size,  and  with  the  concrete  surface  to  guide  him,  the  paver  can 
lay  the  stone  so  true  that  there  is  no  apparent  wave  in  the  pavement. 

4.  The   lack   of  impermeability.     With  the   thick   sand   bed,   the   great    depth 
of  the  granite  blocks  and  the  irregularity  in  the  size  of  the  joint,  it  is  impossible 
to  make  the  surface  water  tight;  when  grouted  the  pitch  cools  before  it  reaches 
the  bottom  of  the  joint  and  the  sand  prevents  it  from  spreading  under  the  block 
even    when    it    does    reach   the   bottom;    leaks    occur    and    disturb    the    sand    bed, 
causing  depressions  and  irregularities  in  the  road  surface.     The  remedy  for  this 
is  to  use  blocks  of  small  size  of  uniform  shape  and  a  thin  bed  of  fine  gravel — 
not    sand — under    them,    so    that    when    grouted,    the    pitch    will    completely    fill    the 
joints  and  thoroughly  impregnate  the  gravel  bed   on  which  the  stones   are  laid 
and  thus  make  a  perfectly  impervious  surface. 

5.  Too  soft  granite  which  quickly  wears  away  under  the  blows  of  the  wheels 
and  is  often  crushed  by  them.     (See  Figs.  26  and  27.)     Instances  of  this  can  be  seen  in 
lower    Broad    Street,    in    Front    Street,    east    of    Whitehall    Street    and    in    other 
places  almost  wherever  one  chooses  to  look  for  them  in  pavements  of  this  kind. 


Fig.  24. — English  tool  used  for  smoothing  concrete  for  foundations.     This  instrument  when  properly 

used  produces  a  surface  which  is  true  and  smooth  without  the  use  of  fine  stuff. 

Its  use  should  be  introduced  here  without  delay. 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 


27 


.   25. — An   English   granite  block   pavement   being  laid   in   Liverpool.      Observe   the   smoothness   of 

the  concrete  foundation.     This  can  best  be  seen  in  the  immediate  foreground  where  the  clean 

edge   of  the  concrete  is  shown   after  the   removal   of  the   center   which   was   used   in 

shaping  it.     The  surface  was  smoothed  with  the  tool  shown  in  the  last  figure. 

The  blocks  are   being  laid   on   a  very   thin   bed   of   fine   gravel. 


I'ig.  26.     Old  pavement  in   Broad   Street  opposite   No.    107.      Most  of  the  stones   have   been   crushed 

or  split  by  the  traffic.     Originally  they  were  all  of  about  the  size  of  the  larger  ones.     Their 

softness   can   be   seen   by   the   white   on   the    surface   of  the   blocks   which    indicates 

that  every  passing  wheel  grinds  off  some   of  the   surface. 


28 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 


Fig.  27. — More  broken  blocks  in  the   same  street. 


6.  Stones  too  wide.  Some  of  our  engineers  hold  that  it  will  not  do  to  use 
granite  which  is  very  hard  because  it  wears  slippery,  but  all  danger  of  this  sort 
is  avoided  in  Europe  by  simply  using  smaller  stones,  the  frequency  of  the  joints 
affording  the  necessary  foot-hold  for  the  horses.  In  this  way  the  hardest  granite 
can  be  used  and  that  kind  only  will  give  the  best  service. 

Perhaps  the  most  discouraging  feature  of  this  whole  business  is  the  com- 
parative failure  of  the  recent  attempts  to  improve  our  granite  pavements  by 
the  engineers.  Instead  of  frankly  accepting  European  methods  which  have 
proved  satisfactory,  they  have  adopted  half-way  measures  which  will  not  answer. 

It  was  proposed  to  lay  on  Fourth  Avenue,  a  new  stone  pavement  which  should 
be  entirely  free  from  defects  of  the  older  ones.  The  Vice-Chairman  of  this  Com- 
mittee in  a  conference  with  Mr.  McAneny  and  his  engineers  pointed  out  numer- 
ous defects  in  the  new  specifications  before  the  work  was  commenced.  They 
assured  him  that  as  far  as  possible,  these  defects  would  be  remedied  in  the  superin- 
tendence, which  would  be  of  the  most  rigid  kind.  They  were  not  able,  how- 
ever, to  live  up  to  that  promise,  because  the  specification  was  fundamentally 
wrong.  The  foundation  was  rough  and  uneven  as  usual  and  the  sand  bed 
thick  as  a  necessary  consequence,  and  because  too  much  latitude  had  been 
allowed  in  the  size  of  the  stories.  Although  the  blocks  used  were  somewhat 
smaller  and  more  evenly  cut  than  the  old  ones,  they  were  still  far  too  large, 
rough  and  of  a  proportion  which  the  best  European  practice  condemns.  The 
result  is:  the  surface  is  wavy  and  uneven  and  not  properly  graded;  manhole 
covers  and  tracks  are  out  of  true,  and  already,  although  the  work  is  hardly 
finished,  it  has  begun  to  fail  in  numerous  places.  Our  Committee  found  such 
places  along  the  rails  where  the  pavement  had  sunken  from  one-half  an  inch 
to  one  and  a  half  inches.  This  can  be  seen  along  the  west  side  of  the  rails  at 
many  points  from  Sixteenth  St.  north.  We  noticed  one  manhole  cover  which 
adjoins  the  rails  and  which  was  so  poorly  set  that  one  corner  of  it  is  an  inch 
above  the  surface  of  the  pavement.  (See  Fig.  28.) 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 


29 


Fig.   28. — Manhole  cover   in   the  new   granite  pavement,   Fourth   Avenue   and   20th   Street.     This  cover 

sets   so   it   slopes   the   wrong   way   and   is   so   tilted    that   it   projects    114. 

inches    above    the    adjoining    stone. 


At.  Lafayette  St.,  where  the  pavement  was  still  being  laid,  we  measured 
stones  in  the  last  three  rows  as  follows: 

One  stone  nl/2   in.   long  x  434   in.   deep. 

"         "  3l/>  in.  wide,  5  in.  deep. 

"         "  ii J/2  in.  long,  sl/2  in.  deep. 

"         "  nl/2   in.  long,  4^2   in.  deep. 

ii  in.  long,  4l/2  in.  wide. 

"         "  1 1/4  in-  l°ng>  5  m-  wide. 

"         ''  4  in.  wide  at  one  end,  3*4  in.  at  the  other. 

•'         "  4^4  in.  wide,  5^4  in.  deep. 

"         "  3  in.  wide  at  bottom,  4  in.  at  top. 

"  nl/2  in.  long  and  5  in.  wide  at  top. 

5  in.  wide,  5  in.  deep. 

"         "  4-)4  in.  wide  at  one  end  and  4  in.  at  the  other. 

"         "  4l/2  in.  wide  next  to  another  4  in.  wide. 

The  joints  varied  from  l/%  to  %  of  an  inch. 

Without  going  into  the  question  as  to  whether  such  stones  were  contrary  to 
the  specifications,  we  can  say  that  with  them  it  is  impossible  to  make  a  thoroughly 
good  pavement. 

At  22d  Street  we  found  a  manhole  cover  down  two  inches.  (See  Fig.  29.) 
Further  along  we  found  the  car  rail  il/>  inches  above  the  stone,  at  another  point  il/2 
inches,  at  another  point  i->6  inches,  at  another  point  2%  inches.  (See  Figs.  30,  31, 
32,  33,  34-) 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 


Fig.  29. — Manhole  at  east  side  of   Fourth   Avenue  and  21st   Street — another  example  of  workmanship 

on   the   new   Fourth    Avenue   pavement.      One   side  of   the   cover   is   about   flush   with   the   rim 

and    the   other   is    about   two    inches   below    the    rim.      This    is   a   typical    example    of 

manhole    covers    in    other    parts    of    the    City. 


Fig.   30. — This  illustrates  failure  of  the  new  granite  pavement  on   Fourth  Avenue  at   a  point   opposit 

Union  Square.     There  is  a  depression  at  tile  side  of  the   rails  of  2]4    inches  in 

a   distance    of    four   feet,   due   to    slovenly    workmanship. 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 


Fig.   31.— Car  track  opposite  356  Fourth   Avenue.     This  illustrates  the   failure  of  the  pavement  where 

it  abuts  the  rails.     The  blocks  have  been  forced  down  more  than   I1/?   inches  below  the 

general   level,   although   it   has   only   been   in   use   two   or  three   months. 


Fig.    32. — This  shows   a   depression   of   2l/2    inches   at   the   side   of   the    rail   in    the    new    granite   block 

pavement  on   Fourth   Avenue  opposite   No.   258.     At  the  time  of  making  the  photograph  the 

pavement  had  been  in  use  about  two  or  three  months.     The  defect  is  due  to   the 

general   poor   workmanship   and   particularly   to   the    neglect   to   properly    fill 

the  webb  of  the  rail  with  cement  mortar. 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 


Fig.    33. — Car   track  at   Fourth   Avenue   and   2_M    Street.      At   this    point   the   pavement   has    sunk    1; 

inches   below   the   rail.      The   new    Fourth    Avenue   pavement    where    this   occurs   is    called 

Improved   Granite   Block   pavement,   and   was   intended  to  equal  any 

foreign   pavements   of  the   kind. 


Fig.   34.— New  granite   pavement,   Fourth   Avenue, — showing   failure   at  the   rails   and   a  depression   of 

almost  two  inches  in  a  distance  of  four   feet.      The  manhole   cover   slopes  to   the 

rail     instead    of    awav    from    it    as    was    intended. 


ASI'H.' 

Mo 

nnrl     r'. 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT.  33 


ASPHALT  PAVEMENTS 


Most  of  the  older  asphalt  is  laid  over  old  stone  pavements.  They  do  not  stand 
and  cannot  be  expected  to  stand  when  made  in  such  a  way.  Fortunately  this  is  a 
practice  which  has  now  been  abandoned.  But  if  the  new  concrete  foundations  are  to 
be  made  as  already  described,  they  will  hardly  prove  better. 

When  the  smooth  surface  of  the  asphalt  is  once  broken  then  the  body  of 
the  material  speedily  disintegrates.  When  laid  to  abut  car  tracks  the  move- 
ment of  the  tracks  opens  the  joints  and  admits  water,  which  has  carefully 
been  conducted  to  these  points  of  weakness  by  crowning  between  the  tracks, 
and  the  bad  effects  of  this  are  greatly  aggravated  when  the  cavities  at  the  sides 
of  the  rail  are  not  thoroughly  filled.  The  pavement  almost  invariably  fails 
quickly  along  the  rails.  It  is  also  apt  to  fail  in  the  gutters  which  are  not  gen- 
erally so  well  graded  that  all  the  water  can  run  off.  The  life  of  these  pavements 
is  also  greatly  lessened  by  the  presence  of  mud  on  the  surface.  On  the  East 
and  West  sides  of  the  City  we  found  the  streets  often  in  a  very  dirty  condition,  some 
being  covered  with  wet  mud  and  there  was  a  great  deal  of  rubbish,  ashes  and  other 
refuse  in  the  gutters. 

We  believe  these  pavements  would  last  much  longer  if  they  were  more 
carefully  graded;  the  surface  of  all  of  them  is  wavy  so  that  they  do  not  properly 
drain.  When  the  streets  are  wet,  small  pools  of  water  can  be  ?een  standing  on 
them  at  frequent  intervals  and  decay  begins  almost  invariably  in  such  depressions. 

In  Baxter  St.  between  White  and  Canal  Sts.,  we  found  the  new  asphalt  very 
carelessly  graded.  In  one  place  there  was  depression  of  y2  inch  in  four  feet.  In 
Madison  St.  near  Grand  we  saw  asphalt,  laid  in  10x19,  where  the  car  tracks  stood 
well  above  the  surface. 

It  would  be  easy  to  make  an  interminable  list  of  defects  but  there  is  no 
necessity  to  do  so.  One  has  only  to  examine  any  asphalt  paved  street  to  see 
them  for  himself,  and  our  purpose  here  is  simply  to  point  out  typical  causes  of  failure. 


WOOD  BLOCK  PAVEMENTS  : 

Many  of  the  defects  in  this  kind  of  pavement  are  due  to  the  causes  already 
mentioned;  that  is  to  say,  poorly  graded  foundations  so  that  the  surface  of 
newly  laid  streets  is  wavy  permitting  moisture  to  stand  in  depressions  on  the 
surface  and  along  the  gutters;  to  the  lack  of  proper  rilling  of  the  cavities  at  the 
sides  of  the  car  tracks  and  to  leaks.  The  new  wood  pavement  on  West  23rd  St. 
is  very  poorly  graded.  We  saw  standing  pools  in  the  gutters  and  the  surface 
is  full  of  depressions  which  will  constantly  become  worse.  Although  the  work 
is  hardly  finished,  the  pavement  has  failed  along  the  tracks,  being  crushed  in 
places  and  forced  under  the  rail.  Between  7th  and  8th  Avenues,  the  surface  has 
sunk  away  from  the  tracks  at  certain  points,  and  between  gth  and  loth  Avenues, 
we  measured  places  where  the  depressions  ranged  from  I  to  i$i  inches.  (See 
Figs.  35,  36,  37,  38,  39.)  Such  a  place  can  be  seen  opposite  No.  325;  opposite 
No.  333,  the  wood  has  been  forced  l/2  inch  below  the  manhole  cover.  This 
pavement  already  needs  prompt  repair.  Opposite  No.  357,  the  pavement  along 
the  tracks  has  been  crushed  i%  inches;  and  opposite  No.  421,  il/2  inches.  Op- 
posite No.  443  the  gutter  is  down  \Y^  inches  in  4  feet. 

Another  cause  for  the  failure  of  the  wood  block  pavements  is  because  the 
blocks  are  too  shallow.  Our  4  inch  blocks  are  at  least  one  inch  less  in  depth 


34 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 


Fig.   35. — Failure   along   track   of   new   wood    block   pavement   in    23d    Street,    opposite    No.    515.      The 

pavement   has  sunken    \l/2    inches  having  been   forced   under   the   rail,   the 

webb    not    having  been    properly    filled. 


Fig.   36. — Failure  along  track  of  new  block  pavement  in   23d    Street,   opposite  Hotel   Chelsea. 
The   depression   here   is    l^i    inches. 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 


35 


Fig.   37. — Failure   along   track   of   new   wood    block  pavement   opposite    357    West    23d    Street. 

Depression    of    1  '/2    inches.      The    dark    shadow    on    the    right    of    the    rail    shows    how 

the    pavement    has    sunken    below    it. 


Fig.   33. —  Failure   along   track  of   new   wood   block   pavement   opposite   325    West   23d    Street. 

Depression    of    1    inch.      Note   the   shadow    along   the    rail.      This    pavement   was    hardly 

completed   when    the   photograph    was   taken. 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 


I''ig.    39. — Failure   along   track   of    new    wood   block   pavement   opposite    321    West    23d    Street. 
The  blocks  have  been  crushed  and  are  down   1^   inches. 


than  those  commonly  used  abroad,  and  are  therefore  more  easily  crushed  and 
split,  the  fiber  being  so  short  as  to  have  little  vertical  strength.  Recently  blocks  only 
3J4  inches  deep  have  been  used. 

Failures  also  occur  by  reason  of  expansion ;  we  saw  numerous  places  where 
this  had  occurred.  A  good  example  of  it  can  be  seen  on  Jerome  Avenue  between 
the  car  tracks. 


MACADAM  : 

There  are,  still,  within  the  City  limits  more  macadam  than  any  other  single  kind 
of  road,  viz.:  791  miles  exclusive  of  that  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Park  Depart- 
ments. These  roads  are  in  a  chronic  state  of  disrepair.  Ordinary  macadam  is  no 
longer  suited  to  roads  near  a  large  City  even  if  built  and  maintained  in  the  most 
scientific  way,  for  they  cannot  sustain  heavy  automobile  traffic,  but  when  made  with 
the  use  of  a  bituminous  binder  they  may  answer  a  very  useful  purpose. 

The  chief  defects  in  our  macadamized  roads  are  due  to  insufficient  sub-soil 
drainage  and  to  the  lack  of  that  continuous  maintenance  without  which  no  road  of 
this  kind  can  prove  satisfactory.  Standing  moisture  on  the  surface  and  a  soggy 
bed  are  the  main  causes  of  decay.  In  order  to  overcome  these  difficulties  more 
care  must  be  taken  to  properly  drain  the  sub-soil,  by  the  use  of  ditches  and 
drains,  and  the  surface  must  at  all  times  be  kept  free  from  mud  and  standing 
water;  they  should  be  constantly  swept  as  they  are  in  Europe  and  all  imperfec- 
tions and  depressions  repaired  as  soon  as  they  make  their  appearance.  The  only 
feasible  way  to  deal  with  roads  of  this  kind  is  to  divide  them  into  small  sections,  each 
one  in  charge  of  a  road  man,  working  under  the  direction  of  a  competent  engineer, 
whose  duty  it  is  to  repair  defects  daily  as  they  make  their  appearance. 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 


THE  ECONOMIC  ADVANTAGES  OF  GOOD  PAVEMENTS 


37 


If  the  condition  of  a  City's  pavements  is  a  fair  gauge  of  its  civilization,  as 
has  been  maintained  by  high  authority,  New  York  must  rank  low  in  the  scale.  That 
its  pavements  are  an  unmistakable  evidence  of  provincialism,  there  can  be  no  doubt. 
It  should  be  the  earnest  wish  of  every  one  who  has  the  interest  of  the  City  at  heart, 
that  it  should  have  better  pavements  for  its  own  credit,  if  for  no  other  reaosn,  even  if 
they  impose  a  heavier  burden  on  the  community. 

That  no  such  result  would  follow,  but  on  the  contrary,  an  immense  pecuniary  gain, 
the  experience  of  many  European  cities  amply  proves. 

There  is  no  City  on  earth,  which  stands  in  greater  need  of  good  pavements 
than  Manhattan  Borough.  Owing  to  the  physical  conformation  of  the  island 
the  traffic  is  confined  within  narrow  limits  and  the  only  possible  way  to  avoid 
congestion  is  to  keep  the  main  arteries  always  free,  open  and  in  good  condition. 

If  they  are  clogged  or  out  of  order,  the  whole  organism  which  goes  to  make  up 
the  City  is  injured  and  its  activities  suffer.  It  should  be  remembered  that  we  are 
using  streets  which  were  designed  to  accommodate  a  City  of  four  or  five  stories  and 
are  building  one  of  three  or  four  times  that  height ;  the  streets  can  adequately  accom- 
modate the  pressure  thus  being  put  on  them,  if  at  all,  only  by  making  them  available 
for  use  to  the  fullest  possible  extent.  One  properly  paved  street  free  and  open  is  worth 
two  which  are  poorly  paved  and  partly  obstructed,  and  a  street  with  a  roadway  wide 
enough  to  permit  the  passage  of  a  double  line  of  vehicles  on  each  side  is  the  equivalent 
of  two  which  can  accommodate  but  a  single  line.  Fortunately  most  of  the  roadways 
can  be  widened  as  Fifth  Avenue  has  been,  and  no  time  should  be  lost  in  doing  so  in 
streets  which  are  most  congested.  The  usefulness  of  lower  Broadway,  for  instance, 
would  be  almost  doubled  if  its  roadway  were  three  or  four  feet  wider  on  each  side 
of  the  car  track  and  this  space  which  is  so  sorely  needed  in  the  roadway  is  now  lost 
to  the  public  because  stoops  and  areas  in  front  of  the  buildings  occupy  land  which 
belongs  to  the  community.  Nothing  could  be  more  beneficial  to  the  pavement  than 
such  a  widening,  for  the  broader  the  roadway  the  more  evenly  traffic  distributes  itself 
over  it  and  the  more  uniform  the  wear. 

There  can  be  no  question  in  the  mind  of  one  who  has  made  a  careful  study 
of  the  matter  that  if  our  streets  were  maintained  in  as  good  condition  as  those  of 
the  chief  cities  of  Great  Britain  the  tractive  effort  required  in  the  moving  of  merchan- 
dise through  them  would  be  reduced  one-half  and  that  congestion  of  traffic  would 
also  be  reduced  in  like  proportion. 

The  financial  gain  which  would  result  from  such  a  condition  is  too  great  to 
grasp;  it  staggers  the  imagination.  When  one  thinks  of  the  loss  which  our 
bad  pavements  occasion,  in  the  millions  of  horse-power  wasted  in  dragging  loads  over 
their  rough  and  uneven  surfaces,  in  the  delays  caused  by  street  obstructions,  in  the 
vast  and  unnecessary  wear  and  tear  on  horses,  vehicles  and  harness,  automobile  tires, 
in  the  smallness  of  our  loads  as  compared  with  those  of  Europe,  the  aggregate  becomes 
appalling. 

All  this  can  be  perfectly  well  avoided  and  we  can  have  pavements  of  the 
highest  type  at  a  less  annual  cost  per  mile  than  those  we  now  have  if  we  only  do 
as  has  been  done  in  other  places  and  introduce  modern  methods  of  dealing  with  them. 


38  APPENDIX   TO    REPORT. 

COST  OF  PAVEMENTS 

There  is  often  a  great  difference  in  the  price  paid  for  pavements  of  the  same  type, 
even  in  the  same  borough,  on  account  of  local  conditions  which  affect  the  cost  of 
construction,  the  chief  of  which  is  the  great  expense  of  hauling.  This  amounts  to  about 
30c.  per  ton  mile.  Therefore  it  is  not  possible  to  give  prices  which  will  apply  to  all 
pavements  of  the  same  type,  but,  in  a  general  way,  the  following  list  gives  a  fair 
average  of  the  cost  of  recent  pavements  of  the  kinds  mentioned  without  their 
foundations : — 

Granite  Block    $2.20  to  $3.00  per  sq.  yd. 

Iron  Slag  Block 2.75  to  3.00 

Wood    Block    2.20  to  2.60    ' 

Asphalt  Block  in  Manhattan J-75  to  2.30 

Sheet  Asphalt    "                        1.50  to  1.75 

Asphalt  Block  in  other  Boroughs.. 1.50  to  1.75 

Sheet  Asphalt     "       "                        -85  to  1.30    ' 

Bituminous   Macadam,  about -9° 

Ordinary   Macadam,  .60 

It  will  be  seen  that  asphalt  in  Manhattan  has  cost  a  good  deal  more  than  in  the 
other  Boroughs.  This  is  because  the  specifications  have  heretofore  been  drawn  to  favor 
special  interests  at  the  City's  expense. 

A  comparison  of  700  contracts  made  during  the  last  six  years  in  Manhattan  and 
Brooklyn  shows  that  the  additional  cost  per  square  yard  in  Manhattan  has  been  39C., 
but  when  it  is  remembered  that  the  cost  for  hauling  is  higher  in  Brooklyn,  the  distance 
being  greater,  and  that  many  of  the  streets  of  heavy  traffic  there  are  paved  with 
asphalt,  it  will  be  seen  that  3Qc.  may  not  represent  the  full  loss  per  square  yard.  The 
asphalt  paving  industry  in  this  country  in  the  past  has  often  been  corrupt  and  New 
York  has  been  one  of  the  chief  losers  thereby.  Improper  relations  have  existed 
between  contractors  and  City  officials  and  restrictive  specifications  were  used  which 
prevented  genuine  competition  and  were  an  outrage  upon  the  taxpayers.  A  taxpayer's 
suit,  Matthews  vs.  Keating,  brought  attention  to  the  matter,  and  under  Mayor  Strong 
a  specification  was  adopted  which  permitted  competition. 

On  May  2Oth,  1904,  the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment  adopted  a  specifica- 
tion, the  result  of  which  was  to  prevent  all  genuine  competition.  One  week  later, 
May  27th,  1904,  this  order  was  rescinded  so  far  as  it  affected  Brooklyn,  but  it  still 
remained,  and  has  remained  in  force  in  Manhattan  up  to  about  the  present  time.  As  a 
result  of  this  the  City  has  lost  a  very  large  sum;  just  how  much,  we  cannot  say,  but 
probably  as  much  as  400.  per  square  yard  on  all  the  work  that  has  been  done  during 
the  last  six  years. 

Some  idea  of  the  extent  of  the  loss  can  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that  4oc.  per 
square  yard,  if  calculated  only  upon  the  asphalt  pavements  which  are  now  actually  in 
place  in  Manhattan,  would  amount  to  $2,603,917.  The  City's  loss  first  and  last  must 
have  been  several  times  this  amount. 

When  the  present  administration  came  in  it  found  this  specification  in  force ; 
measures  were  taken  to  discover  what  justification  there  was  for  it,  and  when  it  became 
convinced  that  there  was  none,  steps  were  taken  to  do  away  with  it,  and  the  necessary 
action  to  that  end  was  obtained  from  the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment. 


APPENDIX   TO   REPORT.  39 

ECONOMY  AND  FIRST  COST. 

When  the  importance  of  better  methods  of  construction  and  the  use  of  a 
higher  grade  of  materials  for  street  work  is  urged  upon  our  engineers,  they 
usually  agree,  but  say  that  the  cost  would  be  greater;  that  when  an  appropriation 
is  made  here  for  paving,  the  chief  object  to  be  attained  is  to  spread  the  im- 
provement over  as  great  an  area  as  possible;  first  cost  taking  precedence  of 
ultimate  economy.  They  deplore  this  condition,  but  maintain  that  it  exists  and 
that  they  are  powerless  to  remedy  it. 

There  is  a  good  deal  of  truth  in  what  they  say,  and  the  same  difficulty  will 
exist  to  a  certain  extent,  in  almost  any  new  community.  Where  large  areas  of 
outlying  property  are  to  be  laid  out  in  streets  and  the  cost  of  the  improvement 
assessed  on  the  land,  expensive  pavements  would  often  cost  more  than  the 
property  could  stand ;  but  this  consideration  should  not  apply  to  the  older  por- 
tions of  the  City  and  especially  to  Manhattan. 

Here  the  original  pavements  have  practically  all  been  laid;  their  cost  was 
borne  by  the  property,  benefited  in  the  first  place ;  it  now  rests  with  the  City  at  large  to 
maintain  them  and  ultimate  economy  and  efficiency  should  govern  in  replacing  them. 

There  can  be  no  greater  fallacy  than  that  cheapness  in  pavements  means  economy. 
Our  officials,  in  the  past,  have  generally  proceeded  upon  the  theory  that  to 
obtain  the  greatest  area  of  pavement  at  the  least  outlay  per  square  yard  is  to 
work  for  the  City's  interest  and  there  has  been  rivalry  among  some  of  them  to 
produce  what  was  thought  to  be  the  best  result  of  this  kind. 

Boulnois,  formerly  chief  engineer  of  the  City  of  Liverpool,  says :  It  is  an 
absolutely  proved  fact  that  the  pavement  best  suited  to  the  traffic  it  is  to 
sustain  is  the  most  economical  one  to  lay,  regardless  of  first  cost. 

This  fact  has  been  proved  over  and  over  again  by  the  experience  of  European 
cities  and  it  is  accepted  unconditionally  by  the  highest  authorities  on  paving. 

In  1872,  acting  under  the  advice  of  its  Chief  Engineer,  the  Municipality  of 
Liverpool  began  laying  the  very  best  type  of  impervious  stone  block  pavements, 
as  being  the  kind  best  suited  to  the  traffic  on  its  principal  business  streets;  this 
was  done  regardless  of  first  cost,  on  the  theory,  as  above  stated,  that  the  best 
pavement  would  also  prove  the  most  economical.  After  forty  years  of  the 
continuous  application  of  this  policy,  the  result  has  been  that  the  cost  per  mile 
of  maintaining  the  pavements  of  Liverpool  in  their  present  high  state  of  effi- 
ciency, including  interest  on  the  cost  and  all  sinking  fund  charges,  has  fallen 
about  25%  below  what  it  was  before  that  policy  was  adopted  and  when  inferior 
pavements  were  in  use;  at  the  same  time  the  gain  to  the  community,  through 
the  improved  condition  of  the  streets,  has  been  too  great  to  estimate. 

The  sooner  we  learn  this  same  lesson  the  better.  Pavements  are  not  tempo- 
rary affairs;  when  one  is  laid  it  is  intended  to  be  used  until  it  is  worn  out;  the 
City  must  always  maintain  it;  it  is  therefore  manifestly  for  the  City's  interest  to 
use  only  that  kind  which  shall  give  the  best  results  at  the  least  annual  cost  and 
it  is  quite  evident  that  no  pavements  built  on  defective  lines  can  do  this.  Our 
present  methods  are  as  extravagant  as  they  are  inefficient  and  the  loss  which  results 
therefrom  to  the  community,  would  not  be  tolerated  were  its  true  proportions 
known. 

It  is  high  time  that  we  take  heed  of  these  matters.  Are  we  so  well  suited 
with  our  pavements  that  we  are  willing  to  continue  making  more  of  the  same 
kind?  This  is  precisely  what  is  going  on  now  as  our  investigations  have  shown 
and  we  think  that  a  sharp  halt  should  be  called. 


40  APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 

There  is  no  good  reason  why  we  should  not  profit  immediately  by  the  ex- 
perience of  Europe.  We  have  bad  pavements  and  most  European  cities  have 
good  ones.  Why  then  should  we  not  adopt  their  methods  so  far  as  they  are 
applicable,  and  thus  advance  at  one  step  to  the  point  they  have  reached?  Why 
indulge  in  costly  experiment  to  find  out  what  is  already  perfectly  well  known 
elsewhere?  It  would  cost  far  less,  save  time  and  be  much  better  to  send  our 
engineers  to  investigate  street  work  in  places  where  it  is  good.  The  matter  is 
not  so  difficult  but  that  it  might  be  readily  learned  by  intelligent  men,  of  the  kind 
available,  in  a  very  short  time. 


ENGINEERING 

Street  paving  is  a  branch  of  engineering  which  has  been  sadly  neglected  in 
this  country.  Although  many  of  our  engineers  engaged  in  it  have  had  a  good 
education  in  general  engineering,  they  have  had  no  special  training  in  the  science 
of  paving  except  what  they  have  been  able  to  pick  up  for  themselves  in  the 
course  of  their  duties.  We  have  no  schools  devoted  especially  to  paving  and  road 
making  such  as  the  great  ficole  des  Ponts  et  Chaussees  of  France;  and  so  far  as 
we  have  been  able  to  learn  there  are  courses  devoted  entirely  to  it  in  few  of  our 
technical  schools. 

Xo  one  can  talk  with  our  engineers  in  charge  of  paving  in  the  various  Boroughs 
without  being  impressed  by  the  fact  that  they  are  either  groping  in  the  dark  in  regard 
to  many  important  matters,  each  one  trying  to  find  out  for  himself  what  ought  to  be 
done,  or  else  proceeding  along  the  old  defective  lines  and  simply  doing  as  others 
have  done,  here,  before  them.  There  are  no  fixed  standards  of  excellence  and  little 
or  no  knowledge  of  what  is  going  on  outside  of  the  United  States. 

This  is  not  intended  as  a  reflection  on  these  men,  many  of  whom  are  of  high 
character  and  attainments,  greatly  interested  in  their  work  and  sincerely  desirous 
of  improving  it  by  every  means  in  their  power.  The  fault  lies  with  the  system 
and  the  lack  of  attention  which  has  been  given  to  this  important  study  by  our 
technical  schools  and  municipalities. 

This  lack  of  special  knowledge  relating  to  paving  is  costing  the  City  very  dear. 
Our  Departments  of  Public  Works  are  trying  to  find  out  by  costly  experiments 
many  things  which  might  easily  be  learned  from  Europe;  or  else  spending  vast 
sums  of  public  money  on  pavements  that,  because  of  inherent  defects  in  their  con- 
struction, are  doomed  to  failure  before  they  are  laid.  Besides  the  loss  to  the 
municipality  which  this  policy  involves,  a  heavy  burden  is  thrown  on  the  users  of 
the  streets  because  of  their  rough  surfaces  and  chronic  condition  of  disrepair.  It 
is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  tractive  effort  required  in  moving  merchandise  in  Man- 
hattan might  easily  be  reduced  by  one-half  if  our  pavements  were  of  as  good  a  quality 
and  maintained  as  well  as  those  of  many  first-class  European  cities.  What  this 
saving  would  amount  to  can  only  be  conjectured,  but  that  the  sum  would  be 
stupendous,  no  one  can  doubt. 

One  who  has  not  made  a  careful  study  of  the  American  methods  of  paving,  in 
comparison  with  those  of  Europe,  can  have  but  a  faint  conception  of  our  backward- 
ness, for  instance :  Although  an  immense  amount  of  what  is  called  "Durax"'  in 
England  and  "Kleinpflaster"'  in  Germany  has  been  laid  in  Europe  and  especially 
in  Germany,  it  is  doubtful  if  there  is  a  single  square  yard  of  it  in  this  country. 
(See  Fig.  3.) 

Again:  Years  of  study,  experiment  and  observation  have  convinced  the  best 
paving  engineers  of  Europe  that  stone  block  pavements  should  not  be  grouted 
with  cement.  This  practice  makes  a  hard,  noisy  pavement,  difficult  to  repair, 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT.  41 

having  no  resiliency  whatever  and  one  which  when  it  is  worn  is  altogether  unsat- 
isfactory. Yet  our  engineers  are  now  beginning  to  use  that  method.  In  time, 
they  will  discover,  as  the  European  engineers  have  done,  that  the  practice  is  bad, 
but  why  go  to  so  much  expense  for  the  knowledge?  A  study  of  the  pavements 
of  almost  any  English  city  would  convince  anyone  that  stone  block  pavements 
should  not  be  grouted  with  cement  and  the  lesson  could  be  learned  in  that  way 
for  a  tythe  of  what  the  same  knowledge  will  cost  under  the  present  plan. 

It  would  be  perfectly  easy  to  go  on  and  fill  page  after  page,  with  examples  of 
the  antiquated  and  obsolete  methods  which  our  engineers  are  using  in  the  work 
they  are  doing  and  which  might  all  be  easily  avoided  by  studying  conditions  and 
practices  in  other  countries  which  are  more  advanced  in  these  matters  than  we 
are;  but  to  do  so  here  would  be  but  to  repeat  a  great  deal  of  what  has  been  already 
said  under  the  heading  "Defective  Methods." 


INSPECTION 

It  is  perfectly  evident  to  us  after  our  investigations  that  if  we  are  to  have  pave- 
ments of  a  modern  type,  it  will  be  necessary  to  infuse  new  life  into  the  depart- 
ments in  charge  of  the  work.  Under  the  primitive  methods  heretofore  used  it  was 
not  thought  necessary  that  the  inspectors  should  have  any  special  technical  train- 
ing, and  there  are  few  of  them  who  are  competent  to  do  things  in  a  more  scientific 
way  in  the  future  than  they  have  in  the  past. 

Our  engineers  are  intelligent  men  whose  ideas,  as  regards  paving,  might  easily 
be  brought  up  to  date  by  a  study  of  European  pavements,  and  we  have  already 
recommended  that  they  should  be  sent  at  the  City's  expense  to  places  in  Europe 
where  the  science  of  paving  is  most  advanced;  but  even  with  the  knowledge 
which  can  thus  be  obtained  they  must  have  more  highly  trained  assistants  than 
at  present,  and  \ve  are  entirely  of  the  opinion  that  there  should  be  a  large 
number  of  inspectors  appointed,  who  are  qualified  engineers  and  who  can  lay 
out  and  superintend  the  work  of  paving  in  a  scientific  way.  At  present,  in  some 
of  the  Boroughs,  the  inspectors  receive  four  dollars  a  day  and  they  are  gen- 
erally laid  off  during  the  winter  months.  If  they  were  men  of  a  higher  grade, 
properly  equipped  with  the  necessary  technical  training,  they  could  be  employed 
most  usefully  during  those  months  in  assisting  the  Chief  Engineer  and  in  pre- 
paring for  the  work  which  they  would  have  to  superintend  during  the  rest  of 
the  year.  The  most  competent  would  rise  to  the  higher  positions  in  the  service 
to  the  great  benefit  of  all  concerned. 

If  there  is  any  one  thing  more  clear  than  another  in  regard  to  the  paving 
situation  in  this  City,  it  is  that  we  should  break  away  from  the  old  traditions 
and  defective  methods  which  have  given  us  our  present  pavements,  and  proceed 
along  modern  and  scientific  lines.  To  do  so  requires  a  new  element  in  the  depart- 
ments;  men  without  experience  in  paving;  that  is  to  say:  without  the  kind  of 
experience  which  has  been  acquired  here  in  the  past ;  inspectors  who  are  bound 
by  no  traditions  of  bad  workmanship,  but  who  are  ambitious  to  do  good  work 
in  a  modern  way  and  who  have  the  necessary  technical  training.  Our  Colleges 
are  turning  out  hundreds  of  young  men  every  year  who  would  be  available  for 
this  work,  and  these  are  the  men  that  every  City  engineer  whom  we  have  seen,  has 
expressed  a  wish  to  employ. 

But  the  Civil  Service  Commission  holds  a  different  view  and  has  established 
an  age  limit  of  24  years,  on  the  ground  that  the  inspector  should  have  expe- 
rience. We  believe  that  this  is  a  mistake ;  that  the  engineers  are  right  and  know 
better  what  is  wanted  than  the  Civil  Service  Commission ;  that  the  experience 


4_»  APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 

which  is  needed  is  the  kind  which  can  be  quickly  acquired  from  the  very  able 
men  under  whom  they  would  work.  At  the  age  of  twenty-four  the  ablest  young 
men  from  the  Colleges  have  already  found  employment  and  they  are  not  available 
as  they  would  be  if  they  could  be  taken  just  after  graduation. 

STATISTICS  OF  TRAFFIC 

It  is  impossible  to  overestimate  the  importance  of  obtaining  reliable  statistics  of  the 
traffic  to  which  roads  and  pavements  are  subjected.  Without  definite  data  of  this 
kind  the  engineer  is  at  sea;  instead  of  dealing  with  facts,  he  is  reduced  to  guess  work. 

No  small  part  of  our  backwardness  in  road  building  and  paving  is  due  to  the  fact 
that  we  have  never  taken  the  trouble  to  accumulate  the  necessary  information  upon 
which  to  intelligently  base  our  work;  there  is  an  almost  complete  lack  of  statistics  of 
this  kind. 

In  the  most  advanced  European  countries  the  information  supplied  by  the  statistics 
of  tonnage  and  wear  is  the  guide  in  all  work  relating  to  roads  and  pavements.  The 
European  engineer  knows  in  advance  what  tonnage  may  be  expected  to  pass  through 
a  given  street  in  a  year  and  how  much  tonnage  per  yard  of  width  the  kind  of  pave- 
ment he  lays  may  be  expected  to  sustain. 

To  ascertain  these  facts  it  is  necessary  to  take  actual  count  of  the  number  and 
kinds  of  vehicles  passing  given  points  on  the  roadways  during  certain  intervals  of  time 
and  to  roughly  calculate  their  weight. 

In  France  the  importance  of  this  is  so  well  understood  that  enumerations  of  the 
sort  are  made  every  sixth  year  throughout  the  whole  country.  The  census  is  taken  at 
innumerable  points  on  all  the  many  thousands  of  miles  of  National  and  Departmental 
roads,  and  lasts  the  entire  year,  the  count  being  made  every  thirteenth  day,  so  that  it 
shall  fall  on  different  days  of  the  week,  the  better  to  strike  a  fair  average.  On  the 
National  roads  alone  there  are  more  than  5,000  points  of  observation.  The  enumeration 
is  made  by  the  most  reliable  men  in  the  road  service  from  five  and  six  o'clock  in  the 
morning  until  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening;  the  night  traffic  is  counted  at  less  frequent 
intervals.  By  means  of  the  information  thus  obtained  and  the  equally  careful  meas- 
urements of  wear,  the  engineer  can  work  with  certainty,  for  he  knows  the  tonnage 
which  the  roadway  has  carried  at  any  point  and  how  it  has  behaved  under  it. 

All  first-class  European  cities  have  similar  systems  in  operation,  and  street  work- 
is  done  on  a  scientific  basis,  not  on  one  of  guesswork.  The  engineer  knows  how  much 
tonnage  his  pavement  has  been  subjected  to  per  yard  of  width  and  what  it  has  cost 
to  sustain  that  tonnage ;  he  is  thus  able  to  determine  the  relative  economy  and  value  of 
the  different  kinds  of  pavement  used. 

We  are  only  just  beginning  to  awake  to  the  importance  of  obtaining  such  informa- 
tion, and  calculations  of  traffic  tonnage  are  now  being  made  in  different  parts  of  the 
City,  but  not  with  that  thoroughness  which  the  importance  of  the  matter  demands,  and 
it  will  be  many  years  before  we  can  accumulate  the  data  which  our  engineers  ought 
to  have  had  long  ago. 

In  1872  one  of  the  principal  streets  of  Liverpool  was  paved  in  sections  of  equal 
length  with  granite  blocks  taken  from  different  quarries,  each  section  to  a  quarry ; 
this  was  done  in  order  to  determine  which  kinds  of  granite  would  be  most  advanta- 
geous for  the  City  to  use.  After  five  years,  many  of  the  granites  showed  unmistakable 
signs  of  wear,  and  one  kind  was  so  worn  down  that  it  had  to  be  replaced,  being  in 
a  ruinous  condition,  while  that  of  an  adjoining  section  was  uninjured;  even  after 
twenty-one  years  of  the  same  usage,  this  latter  kind  was  almost  unaffected,  and  still 
showed  the  original  quarry  irregularities  on  the  faces  of  the  blocks,  the  only  indication 
of  wear  being  a  slight  rounding  off  of  edges.  This  quality  of  granite  was  therefore 
adopted  for  use  by  the  City  and  is  the  only  kind  used  there  to-day. 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT.  43 

Could  there  be  a  more  convincing  illustration  of  the  necessity  for  knowing  the 
wearing  quality  of  the  different  kinds  of  granite  used  for  paving  purposes? 

If  certain  sorts  will  not  stand  five  years  under  a  traffic  which  makes  scarcely  any 
impression  on  another  kind  after  21  years,  it  is  manifestly  essential  that  the  engineer 
should  be  able  to  distinguish  between  them.  In  view  of  those  facts  is  it  not  extraor- 
dinary that  our  engineers  should  specify  no  definite  qualifications  for  toughness  and 
wear,  except  such  as  can  be  ascertained  by  the  general  appearance  of  the  material? 
In  none  of  the  Boroughs  has  any  definite  test  been  required  for  granite  used  for 
pavements  while  many  millions  of  dollars  have  been  spent  on  them. 

It  is  perfectly  practicable  to  fix  a  standard  of  toughness  which  can  be  determined 
at  a  testing  laboratory,  and  it  is  certain  that  no  granite  should  be  accepted  for  a 
pavement  in  this  City  in  the  future  until  samples  of  it  have  been  subjected  to,  and 
satisfactorily  withstood,  such  a  test. 

Mr.  Brodie,  City  engineer  of  Liverpool,  says :  "It  is  now  generally  admitted  by 
those  who  have  studied  the  question  that  the  most  reliable  measure  of  the  durability 
of  a  road  surface  is  its  tonnage-life,  or  the  total  tonnage  of  traffic  it  will  carry  before 
requiring  a  renewal  of  the  surface ;  any  intelligent  roadman  can  quite  easily  take  a 
census  of  the  traffic  passing  along  a  given  road  and  divide  it  into  classes  from  which 
approximate  tonnage  may  be  readily  arrived  at. 

"In  Liverpool  it  has  been  customary  to  take  occasional  records  of  the  numbers 
and  classes  of  vehicles  passing  along  the  principal  traffic  streets,  and  to  reduce  those 
records  to  a  standard  of  tons  of  traffic  per  yard  width  of  carriageway  per  annum ;  and 
a  great  point  would  be  gained  for  the  more  accurate  comparisons  of  wear  and  costs 
of  street  and  road  surfaces  if  this  standard — which  has  long  been  in  use  and  found 
satisfactory — could  be  universally  adopted  in  this  country. 

"It  is  also  important  that,  if  possible,  practical  standards  of  wear  should  be  arrived 
at  for  the  materials  which  can  now  be  obtained  in  almost  uniform  quality  and  condition 
from  the  best  known  quarries  and  other  sources  of  supply,  and  it  appears  likely  that 
useful  standard  figures  of  wear  based  on  actual  results  of  tonnage-life  over  road 
surfaces  could,  with  a  little  co-operation,  soon  be  fixed  for  each. 

"The  result  of  tests  made  in  Liverpool  has  been  to  show  that  there  is  practically 
only  one  type  of  material  economically  possible  for  all  classes  of  stone  road  surface 
in  that  district,  and  the  splendid  road  materials  coming  from  the  Pennaenmawr  and 
other  quarries  in  Caernarvonshire  have  proved  to  be  not  only  the  best  and  most 
lasting,  but  at  the  same  time  happen  also  to  be  the  cheapest  stone  available  for  streets 
within  cartage  distance  from  the  dock  quay." 

All  this,  except  the  last  paragraph,  applies  with  equal  force  here,  and  we  are  glad 
to  be  able  to  say  that  the  Borough  President  of  Manhattan  has  promised  to  put  down  a 
section  of  pavement  on  one  of  our  principal  streets  of  the  kind  of  stone  above  men- 
tioned and  laid  in  precisely  the  same  way  that  it  is  laid  in  Liverpool,  so  that  the  wear, 
cut  and  appearance  of  the  material  can  be  observed  in  comparison  with  our  granites. 
We  shall  then  have  a  gauge  by  which  to  determine  whether  we  have  any  equally  good. 

We  find  that  immense  quantities  of  different  kinds  of  pavement  have  been  laid, 
apparently,  at  random  with  no  certain  knowledge  as  to  which  is  the  best  for  the 
money.  In  Queens  Borough  a  great  deal  of  asphalt  block  pavement  has  been  laid  at  a 
cost  of  about  $1.75  per  square  yard,  as  against  about  $1.00  per  square  yard  for  sheet 
asphalt.  Is  the  block  asphalt  worth  this  difference  of  75c.  per  square  yard  over  the 
sheet  asphalt?  No  one  seems  to  know;  there  appears  to  be  no  reliable  information 
upon  which  to  base  an  opinion;  no  statistics  showing  the  average  tonnage  life  of  each 
are  available ;  but  it  appears  on  the  face  of  it  that  a  great  amount  of  the  City's  money 
has  been  wasted ;  for,  assuming  that  ten  years  is  about  the  fair  average  life  of  either 
of  these  pavements,  then  this  75c.  per  square  yard  additional  which  the  block  asphalt 
costs  would,  with  interest,  amount  to  enough  to  pay  for  another  new  pavement  of 
sheet  asphalt  at  the  end  of  the  term. 


44  APPENDIX   TO   REPORT. 

One  thing  is  perfectly  clear  from  all  this,  viz.:  The  sooner  our  present  methods  are 
reformed,  and  this  kind  of  work  placed  on  a  scientific  basis,  the  better  for  all  concerned. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  we  have  no  reliable  statistics  as  a  guide  for  our  engineers 
in  street  works  now,  and  while  we  are  obtaining  them,  why  should  we  not  take 
advantage  of  what  has  been  accomplished  in  places  where  such  knowledge  exists? 
This  could  easily  be  done  by  sending  some  of  our  engineers  to  England,  where  enough 
could  be  learned  in  a  very  short  time  to  repay  the  City  a  thousandfold  for  the  outlay. 
If  we  proceed  by  our  present  methods  it  will  cost  many  years  of  labor  and  millions 
of  dollars  to  acquire  a  knowledge  which  might  be  gathered  in  a  few  weeks  abroad  by 
men  of  the  high  intelligence  of  many  of  those  now  in  the  employ  of  the  City. 

STREET  OPENINGS,  GUARANTIES  AND  REPAIRS. 

When  one  speaks  of  improving  our  pavements  he  is  generally  met  by  the  remark 
that  we  can  never  have  good  ones  because  we  tear  them  up  so  often. 

While  it  is  true  that  we  do  make  street  openings  more  frequently  here  than  in 
older  countries  where  building  is  better  done  and  where  there  is  not  the  same  necessity 
that  there  is  here  to  constantly  rebuild,  yet  the  fault  does  not  lie  so  much  in  the 
number  of  openings  made  as  in  the  method  of  making  them. 

If  one  tried  to  devise  the  worst  possible  plan  for  doing  this  work,  he  could  hardly 
find  a  better  model  to  follow  than  the  New  York  method,  for  that  insures  the  maxi- 
mum expense,  delay,  inconvenience  and  trouble  to  every  one  concerned. 

Responsibility  for  the  work  is  divided  among  the  person  in  whose  interest  the 
opening  is  made,  the  City,  and  the  contractor  who  originally  laid  the  pavement. 
After  the  work  is  done  for  which  the  opening  was  made,  the  earth  is  thrown  in  and 
the  pavement  roughly  restored,  in  which  condition  it  lies  for  an  indefinite  period, 
which  may  vary  from  two  weeks  to  as  many  months,  ostensibly  to  allow  the  earth 
to  settle ;  when  the  contractor  who  laid  the  pavement  in  the  first  place  finds  time  to 
attend  to  it,  he  sends  his  men  and  restores  it  to  a  more  or  less  perfect  condition. 

It  can  be  readily  understood  what  an  amount  of  red  tape  and  delay  such  a  system 
involves.  There  is  no  reason  whatever  why  pavements  should  not  be  restored  imme- 
diately after  the  work  is  done  for  which  they  were  opened.  If  the  soil  is  carefully 
rammed,  every  particle  taken  from  an  excavation  can  be  put  back  into  it  again,  and 
this  is  true  even  in  virgin  soil.  The  notion  that  the  street  must  remain  open  for  the 
earth  to  consolidate  is  preposterous,  and  causes  an  immense  amount  of  inconvenience 
and  unnecessary  expense,  for  such  breaks  in  the  pavement  are  a  hindrance  to  traffic 
and  cause  damage  to  vehicles  and  to  the  adjoining  pavement. 

All  this  trouble  and  delay  might  be  avoided  by  placing  the  responsibility  for  all 
street  openings  in  the  hands  of  the  Borough  President,  whose  duty  it  should  be  to 
make  the  opening,  close  it,  and  restore  the  pavement.  The  person  for  whom  the 
opening  was  made  should  be  charged  with  the  cost  of  the  work,  and  pay  a  heavy 
penalty  for  any  delay  over  a  reasonable  allowance  of  time  for  doing  that  for  which 
the  opening  was  made. 

A  large  part  of  the  present  trouble  is  caused  by  the  vicious  system  of  requiring 
long  guaranties  from  contractors  to  keep  the  pavement  in  order  after  it  is  laid,  which 
makes  it  necessary  that  they  should  have  charge  of  restoring  it  after  it  has  been 
disturbed.  This  system  is  a  source  of  great  inconvenience  to  the  public  and  loss  to 
the  City.  Of  course,  the  City  pays  full  price  for  any  such  guaranty.  The  contractors 
add  the  estimated  cost  of  keeping  the  pavement  in  repair  for  the  time  specified  to  the 
amount  of  the  bid,  and  whether  repairs  are  made  or  not  the  City  pays  for  them. 

The  fact  that  the  pavement  is  put  down  under  a  guaranty  tends  to  make  supervision 
by  the  City  less  stringent  than  it  otherwise  would  be ;  the  contractor  naturally  tries  to 
make  his  pavement  as  cheaply  as  he  can,  and  if  it  outlives  his  guaranty,  that  is  all  he 
cares  for. 


APPENDIX   TO    REPORT.  45 

If  repairs  are  required  before  the  expiration  of  the  term  of  the  guaranty,  the 
contractor,  if  he  does  not  shirk  them  altogether,  often  makes  them  unwillingly 
and  neither  promptly  nor  well;  even  the  best  contractors  like  to  wait  until  there  is 
enough  to  do  to  make  it  worth  while  to  send  their  men  and  apparatus  to  the  district 
where  the  repairs  are  required. 

If  the  work  was  done  without  guaranty  except  for  the  first  year,  and  upon  care- 
fully drawn  specifications  to  which  the  contractor  was  rigidly  held,  lower  bids  could 
be  obtained,  and  what  repairs  were  necessary  could  be  made  promptly  and  well; 
After  a  pavement  is  once  laid  the  responsibility  for  its  maintenance  should  be  entirely 
in  the  hands  of  the  City. 

The  system  of  laying  street  pavements  under  a  long  guaranty  is  one  of  the  very 
worst  features  of  our  methods,  and  it  has  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  present  condition 
of  the  pavements  in  New  York. 


REPAIRS  : 

It  is  the  opinion  of  every  City  engineer  with  whom  we  have  conversed  that  the 
various  boroughs  should  have  their  own  repair  plants  and  that  all  repairs  and  all 
street  openings  should  be  made  by  the  City. 

The  only  doubts  which  have  been  expressed  as  to  the  wisdom  of  doing  away  with 
the  long  guaranties  relate  to  asphalt  pavements  and  to  the  fear  that,  with  the  City's 
present  inspection  force  there  could  be  no  certainty  of  its  getting  as  good  a  pavement 
without  a  guaranty  as  with  one;  but  this  difficulty  might,  in  the  opinion  of  some  of 
the  engineers,  be  overcome  by  the  employment  of  a  competent  chemical  staff  to  inspect 
and  test  the  materials  used. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  the  establishment  of  these  repair  plants  would 
greatly  lessen  many  of  the  present  evils,  and  it  is  fortunate  that  a  beginning  has  been 
made  in  this  direction. 


THE  STREET  RAILWAYS  AND  THE  PAVEMENTS 

We  have  already  called  attention  to  the  destructive  effect  of  car  tracks  upon 
pavements  as  they  are  constructed  here. 

In  this  City  as  in  most  others,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  the  railway  com- 
pany is  responsible  for  the  pavement  between  its  tracks  and  for  a  certain  dis- 
tance beyond  them  on  both  sides. 

As  it  is  not  very  practicable  for  the  companies  to  lay  these  narrow  strips 
beyond  the  tracks,  the  work  is  generally  included  in  the  contract  which  the  City 
makes  for  the  rest  of  the  pavement,  the  traction  company  paying  its  share  of 
the  cost;  but  the  space  between  the  tracks  is  generally  paved  by  the  railway 
companies,  without  reference  to  any  other  consideration  than  their  own  in- 
terests. These  companies  have  discovered  that  granite  pavements  are  more 
economical  for  them  than  those  of  the  composition  or  wood  block  types,  so 
that  kind  is  usually  laid,  regardless  of  what  the  rest  of  the  street  may  be  paved 
with. 

This  arrangement  not  only  detracts  very  much  from  the  usefulness  of  the 
street,  but  is  unsightly,  unpleasant  for  traffic  and  destructive  of  the  pavement. 
It  is  well  known  that  the  more  evenly  the  traffic  is  spread  over  the  surface 
of  a  pavement,  the  better  the  service  it  will  give,  and  the  longer  its  life  will  be. 
If  the  street  is  divided  into  three  strips,  which  happens  when  the  center  is 
paved  with  a  different  material  from  the  sides,  then  the  inclination  of  the  traffic 


46  APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 

is  to  keep  to  one  of  those  strips,  causing  the  wheels  to  run  in  nearly  the  same 
place  on  each  of  them  and  producing  excessive  wear  which  soon  destroys  the 
pavement. 

The  disadvantages  of  such  an  arrangement  has  long  been  recognized  by  the 
paving  engineers  of  Europe,  for  which  reason  the  utmost  pains  are  usually 
taken,  not  only  to  keep  the  rails  absolutely  true  and  flush  with  the  pavement, 
but  to  avoid  any  suspicion  of  crowning  between  them ;  in  this  they  have  suc- 
ceeded so  well,  in  most  English  cities,  that  there  is  no  inclination  whatever  for 
the  wheels  of  vehicles  to  follow  the  tracks  as  they  do  here;  and  nothing  could 
better  illustrate  our  backwardness  in  matters  relating  to  paving  than  the  fact 
that  we  deliberately  construct  pavements  so  as  to  bring  the  wear  upon  them 
where  it  will  do  the  most  harm. 

It  is  well  known  here,  as  it  is  in  Europe,  that  the  movement  of  the  rails  by 
expansion  and  contraction  will  open  up  the  joints  between  them  and  any  com- 
position pavement  which  may  abut  them,  causing  leaks,  and  that  such  leaks  are  destruc- 
tive of  the  pavement.  (See  Fig.  9.)  This  is  one  reason  why  the  traction  com- 
panies prefer  to  pave  between  their  tracks  with  granite.  Notwithstanding  this,  our 
City  authorities  let  these  pavements  abut  the  rails.  The  difficulty  is  generally 
avoided  in  Europe  by  providing  a  toothing  of  granite  or  brick  along  the  tracks, 
and  this  treatment,  when  carefully  done,  is  entirely  practicable  and  presents  a 
very  attractive  and  workmanlike  appearance. 

All  the  City  officials,  with  whom  we  have  discussed  the  matter  agree  that 
there  is  no  branch  of  their  work  which  is  beset  with  so  many  difficulties  as 
their  dealings  with  the  railway  companies;  they  find  it  very  hard  and  often 
impossible  to  induce  them  to  co-operate  in  the  matter  of  paving,  and  this  lack 
of  co-operation  causes  the  City  great  loss,  and  the  people  much  inconvenience. 

It  seems  highly  desirable  that  some  arrangement  should  be  contrived  whereby 
the  City  may  have  the  power  to  pave  between  the  tracks,  at  the  expense  of  the 
railway  companies. 

As  matters  now  stand,  when  a  railroad  is  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver,  it  is 
quite  impossible  to  have  proper  pavements  between  the  tracks,  as  the  traction 
companies  have  no  funds  available  for  paving  purposes,  the  amount  which  can 
be  spent  being  determined  by  the  Public  Service  Commission.  This  con- 
dition we  found  to  exist  in  Queens  Borough. 

SMOOTHNESS 

No  quality  which  a  pavement  can  possess  is  more  important  than  smoothness. 
Every  irregularity  in  the  surface  is  a  source  of  weakness  and  of  ultimate  failure.  As 
the  wheels  are  drawn  over  a  road,  the  wear  which  they  cause  is  almost  in  proportion 
to  the  obstacles  encountered.  If  the  pavement  is  rough  as  our  stone  ones  are,  or  if  it 
is  broken,  the  wheels  pound,  and  the  pavement  is  subjected  to  heavy  blows  which  soon 
wear  it  away  and  otherwise  destroy  it.  In  almost  all  our  stone  pavements  one  can  find 
places  where  the  blocks  have  actually  been  crushed  or  split  from  this  cause.  If  the 
pavement  is  of  wood  block,  asphalt  or  any  other  composition  material  and  the  surface 
is  wavy,  the  depressions  will  hold  water  and  speedily  lead  to  failure;  in  such  pave- 
ments disintegration  almost  invariably  commences  in  these  places.  In  macadam  roads 
depressions  of  this  sort  are  the  chief  cause  of  wear,  and  especially  so  since  the  intro- 
duction of  the  automobile.  The  rapidly  passing  wheels  throw  out  the  standing  water 
with  great  violence,  carrying  with  it  the  binder  or  fine  stuff  from  between  the  stones, 
thus  causing  the  pot  holes  which  make  their  appearance  so  rapidly  on  such  roads 
when  subjected  to  heavy  automobile  traffic. 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT.  47 

In  some  places  in  Europe  the  smoothness  of  roads  and  pavements  are  tested  by  an 
instrument  called  a  "viagraph,"  which  has  somewhat  the  appearance  of  a  sled  (see 
Fig.  40)  ;  it  is  fitted  with  a  mechanism  which  is  so  contrived  that  when  it  is  drawn 
over  a  road  surface,  the  irregularities  are  automatically  recorded.  (See  Fig.  41.) 
These  instruments  should  be  introduced  here,  and  contracts  for  pavements  should  be 
made  upon  the  basis  of  a  certain  standard  of  smoothness  to  be  determined  by  them. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  since  the  advent  of  the  automobile,  smoothness  for 
pavements  is  even  a  more  important  quality  than  it  was  formerly.  The  shock  which 
a  swiftly  moving  vehicle  receives  when  it  meets  an  obstruction  is  much  more  violent 
and  destructive  in  its  effects  than  if  it  were  proceeding  at  a  more  moderate  gait,  and 
no  matter  how  the  force  of  the  blow  may  be  disguised  from  those  riding  in  the  car  by 
springs,  pneumatic  tubes  or  otherwise,  the  destructive  effect  of  the  blow  remains  the 
same  and  is  absorbed  by  some  part  of  the  mechanism,  causing  injury  either  to  the  tires 
or  frame. 

The  loss  sustained  yearly  by  the  citizens  who  use  automobiles,  by  reason  of  the 
roughness  of  our  pavements,  must  be  very  great  in  the  aggregate. 


CURBS,  GUTTERS  AND  SEWER  INLETS 

CURBS  : 

A  peculiarly  characteristic  feature  of  our  streets  is  the  general  shabby  and 
dilapidated  appearance  of  the  curbs.  (See  Fig.  42.)  They  are  built  on  the  same 
mistaken  notion  as  the  pavements,  viz.,  that  cheapness  stands  for  economy. 
There  is  no  need  to  say  that  curbs  of  the  kind  we  make  are  not  suited  to  the 
work  they  have  to  perform.  One  has  only  to  look  at  almost  any  curb  which 


I-'ig.  42.— Curb  in  front  of  107  Broad  Street.     This  is  an  old  curb  and  an  extreme  case,  but  it  shows 
how  entirely  unsuited  blue  stone  is  as  a  material  for  curbs  and  how  unsightly  they  become. 


48 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 


Fig.    40.  —  Yiagraph    being    drawn    over    macadamized    road.      This    instrument    is    used    for   testing   the 

smoothness  of  roads. 


Fig.    41. — Mechanism    of    the    Yiagraph.      The    pointer    "I  automatical!} 

encountered  in  the   road  on  the  paper  band   "T." 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 


49 


PROFILE    OF 
ENGLISH  CURB 


.;  •  .'    CONCRETE:  :.'•' 


PROFtLE.    OF 

CURB 


has  been  in  place  a  few  years  to  see  that  it  is  broken,  worn,  oat  of  line  and  of 
unsightly  appearance.  Our  curbs  are  generally  made  of  blue  stone,  very  roughly 
dressed,  from  five  to  six  inches  in  thickness.  These  curbs  cost  from  75c  to  $r.oo 
per  running  foot,  have  a  comparatively  short  life,  if  kept  in  order,  and  a  flimsy 
and  unsuitable  appearance  from  the  start.  Granite  curbs  set  in  concrete  would 
cost  from  $1.25  to  $2.00  per  foot,  would  last  several  times  as  long  and  would  give 
to  the  pavements  a  finish  and  solidity  which  is  now  entirely  lacking. 

But  even  the  best  of  curbs  cannot  stand  well  or  retain  their  good  appearance  unless 
they  are  properly  designed,  and  ours  seldom  are.  As  we  build  them  there  is  no  slope 
on  the  face  to  receive  the  impact  of  wheels  which  striking  on  the  edge  of  the  stone 
soon  wear  it  away  and  spoil  it.  The  bad  effects  of  this  faulty  design  can  be  seen  on 
almost  any  curb  which  has  been  a  year  in  place.  In  most  European  cities  the  curbs 
are  so  cut  that  there  is  a  bevel  of  an  inch  or  more  starting  from  the  point  where  the 
curb  meets  the  pavement  and  sloping  back  to  the  surface  of  the  sidewalk.  (See  Fig. 
43.  When  wheels  strike  a  curb  of  this  sort  they  meet  this  sloping  surface  and  the 
upper  edge  of  the  stone  is  protected. 

SEWER  INLETS  : 

Nothing  can  better  .illustrate  the  little  ingenuity  that  has  been  brought  to  bear 
on  our  street  work  than  the  arrangement  of  sewer  inlets.  These  are  generally  on 
the  corner,  where  wheels  can  most  readily  run  into  them ;  and  are  often  de- 
pressed as  much  as  one  foot  and  some  are  even  eighteen  inches  below  the  level 
of  the  adjacent  pavement  and  are  both  dangerous  and  unsightly.  (See  Fig.  44.) 
In  certain  places  on  Staten  Island,  instead  of  a  single  opening  on  the  corner 
there  are  two,  one  on  each  street  at  a  little  distance  from  the  corner.  When 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 


44. — Sewer  inlet  corner  South  and  Broad  Streets.     This  shows  a  typical  sewer  inlet  at  the  corner 
of  a   street  precisely   at  the  point   where  the   wheels  of  vehicles  turning  the   corner   are 
most  apt  to   run  into   it.     The  depth   of    14^    inches  is  not  at   all   unusual, 
there   are  many  which   are   still   deeper. 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 


Fig.   45. — Sewer  inlet  at  the  corner  of   Fourth  Avenue  and  22d   Street.     This   shows  an   attempt   to- 

remedy  the  defect  illustrated  in  the  last  photograph.     The  iron  grating  answers  the  purpose 

fairly  well  at  first  but  in  time  the  stone  at  the  corner  will  wear  away  so  that  wheels 

can   find  their  way  in  between  it  and  the  grating.     The  appearance  of  the 

stone  shows  how  wheels  run  against  it  and  how  rapidly  they  wear  it 

away.     This  inlet  is  in  the  new  Fourth  Avenue  pavement 

and    illustrates   the    careless   workmanship    in    the 

laying  of  the  stones  and  the  irregularity 

of  the   shape   of   the  blocks. 


arranged  in  this  way  they  can  be  made  smaller  and  without  the  excessive  de- 
pression in  the  pavement  which  is  so  objectionable;  but  we  believe  they  might  just 
as  well  be  dispensed  with  altogether  and  the  surface  water  run  directly  into  the  sewer, 
the  opening  being  protected  by  a  grating.  By  this  arrangement  both  the  cost  of  the 
basins  and  the  expense  of  clearing  them  would  be  saved.  Nothing  which  could  find  its 
way  through  this  grating  would  injure  the  sewer. 

GUTTERS  : 

Several  of  our  engineers  have  expressed  a  preference  for  gutters  of  a  dif- 
ferent material  from  the  pavement.  In  most  English  cities  where  stone  pave- 
ments are  used  the  gutter  is  formed  of  long  flat  stones  called  channels.  These 
are  solidly  bedded  on  a  concrete  foundation;  they  serve  the  double  purpose  of 
forming  a  smoother  runway  for  the  water,  and,  with  the  substantial  granite 
curb,  of  imparting  to  the  pavement  an  appearance  of  solidity  and  good  work- 
manship which  is  most  attractive. 

Our  streets  are  generally  so  poorly  graded  that  the  gutters  do  not  drain 
properly  and  after  a  rain  the  water  stands  in  shallow  pools  on  them.  This 
standing  water  is  very  detrimental  to  most  pavements  and  especially  so  to  those 
which  are  made  of  wood  or  asphalt.  There  is  not  much  wear  from  traffic  along 
the  gutters  and  if  they  were  paved  with  brick  or  some  other  material,  which 
would  not  be  affected  by  water,  the  appearance  of  the  pavement  might  be  im- 
proved and  its  life  prolonged  by  so  doing. 


52  APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 

DIVIDED  RESPONSIBILITY. 

No  small  part  of  the  trouble  with  our  pavements  is  due  to  divided  responsibility 
and  to  the  lack  of  co-operation  which  exists  between  the  various  City  departments 
having  to  do  with  street  work  on  the  one  hand  and  the  street  Railway  Companies  on 
the  other.  It  seems  to  us  that  the  most  sensible,  and  indeed  the  only  practical  way 
to  overcome  these  difficulties,  is  to  make  each  Borough  President  responsible  for  all 
the  Public  Work  having  to  do  with  pavements  which  are  carried  within  the  limits  of 
his  Borough,  and  that  the  paving  between  the  car  tracks  be  done  by  the  City  upon  the 
same  plan  which  is  now  followed  in  paving  the  narrow  strips  outside  the  rails  for 
which  the  Railway  Companies  are  responsible.  We  assume  that  these  companies  have 
certain  fixed  rights,  but  with  the  present  reasonable  management  it  should  not  be 
impossible  to  carry  out  such  an  arrangement. 

It  is  manifestly  impossible  to  fix  responsibility  if  there  is  no  one  responsible  head, 
and  it  is  perfectly  apparent  that  as  matters  now  stand  there  are  many  heads  often 
working  at  cross  purposes.  This  system,  or  lack  of  system,  involves  many  and  vexatious 
delays,  a  poor  quality  of  work,  endless  annoyance  and  great  loss. 

We  believe  that  the  simplest  plan  to  overcome  the  difficulty  will  prove  the  best,  and 
that  the  most  simple  one  is  to  place  the  whole  matter  in  the  hands  of  the  head  of  the 
Borough,  and  hold  him  responsible. 

GRANITE  PAVING  BLOCKS 

One  of  the  most  striking  points  of  difference  between  our  methods  and  the 
best  European  practice  in  the  making  of  Granite  pavements,  relates  to  the  size 
of  the  blocks  used  and  the  way  they  are  cut.  Generally  speaking,  our  blocks  are 
large  and  rough  with  a  considerable  variation  in  size,  while  the  European  block 
is  smaller  and  much  more  exactly  cut.  For  many  years  in  Europe  there  has  been 
a  constant  tendency  towards  the  use  of  blocks  of  smaller  size,  and  especially 
so  in  Italy,  Germany  and  England.  In  many  Italian  cities  blocks  of  very  small 
size  have  long  been  used  and  these  are  often  laid  in  combination  with  what  the 
English  call  "Wheelers,"  that  is:  long  narrow  block  and  smooth  hard  stone  or 


Cu6e 


Jmprovcct    //etu  Vor/'c 
Rvvinc?  Slock  .       jj>  ,£ 


Old    Nenj  )/orK 


nil 


act  tke   sa/me 

rig.  46. 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT.  53 

granite,  forming  tracks  on  which  the  wheels  of  vehicles  may  run,  while  the 
horses  keep  to  the  small  stones  which  afford  them  a  better  foothold. 

In  some  of  the  cities  of  Northern  England,  notably  Liverpool,  Birmingham 
and  Manchester,  Granite  block  pavements  have  been  perfected  to  a  degree  not 
reached  elsewhere.  For  streets  of  the  heaviest  traffic,  oblong  blocks  are  used 
which  measure  about  6*4  inches  deep,  3*4  inches  wide  and  from  five  to  seven 
inches  long.  These  proportions  have  been  found  to  give  the  best  results.  The 
stones  should  not  be  much  longer  than  they  are  deep,  otherwise  they  are  liable 
to  tilt  and  become  misplaced,  or  to  crack.  If  they  are  wider  than  3^  inches, 
they  do  not  afford  a  proper  foothold  for  horses.  Cubes  of  4  inches  and  3^  inches 
have  been  largely  used,  but  for  heavy  traffic  they  are  only  practicable  when  made 
of  the  toughest  material,  otherwise  they  will  crush.  Recently  cubes  as  small  as 
2*4  inches  have  been  used,  laid  on  a  bed  of  Granite  chips  above  a  concrete  base 
and  thoroughly  grouted  with  pitch.  (See  Figs,  i  and  2.)  It  is  needless  to  say  that  a 
pavement  of  this  sort  can  only  be  practicable  when  made  of  the  very  best  quality 
of  Granite.  If  made  of  Granite  as  soft  as  has  been  used  in  New  York  in  the 
past,  they  could  not  stand,  for  the  stones  would  crush. 

Until  quite  recently  Granite  pavements  were  made  of  stones,  which  according 
to  the  specifications  were  to  measure  from  seven  to  eight  inches  in  depth,  from 
3l/2  inches  to  4^  inches  in  width  and  from  seven  inches  to  twelve  inches  in  length, 
and  the  joints  allowed  were  three-quarters  of  an  in  inch  wide.  Here  we  have  a  variation 
a  full  inch  in  the  width  and  depth  of  the  stone,  or  a  permitted  variation  in  cross 
section  of  about  30%.  In  practice  the  variation  in  the  size  of  the  blocks  often 
exceeded  this  liberal  allowance,  and  the  joints  often  exceeded  three-quarters  of 
an  inch,  as  any  one  can  see  who  will  take  the  trouble  to  look  at  the  blocks  in 
our  pavements  of  this  sort. 

According  to  the  Liverpool  specifications  the  maximum  deviation  in  the  size 
of  the  blocks  is  ^-inch  in  depth  and  breadth  or  a  permitted  variation  of  about 
20%,  and  as  the  size  of  the  stones  is  actually  tested  by  callipers  before  acceptance, 
the  permitted  variation  is  rarely  exceeded.  The  width  of  the  joints  is  only  one- 
half  of  what  we  allow. 

Only  recently,  and  following  the  agitation  of  the  subject  by  the  Paving  Com- 
mittee of  the  Fifth  Avenue  Association,  our  engineers  have  begun  the  use  of 
stones  of  smaller  size  than  the  old  ones.  These  are  specified  to  measure  from 
434  inches  to  5*4  inches  in  depth;  from  3^  inches  to  4l/2  inches  in  width,  and 
to  be  from  seven  to  eleven  inches  in  length.  Here  we  have  again  a  permitted 
variation  of  about  30%,  in  cross  section.  While  the  length  of  the  block,  eleven 
inches,  to  its  least  permitted  depth,  434  inches,  is  sure  to  result  in  failure  by 
the  splitting  of  the  stones  under  traffic,  according  to  European  practice,  blocks 
having  a  depth  of  4^  inches  should  not  be  longer  than  about  five  inches.  More- 
over, the  liberal  allowance  for  variation  in  size  which  the  specifications  permits, 
is  exceeded  in  practice,  as  our  investigations  have  shown.  (See  "Defective  Methods," 
also  Fig.  46.) 

In  order  to  obtain  the  best  terms  for  Granite  blocks,  the  City  should  use 
those  of  different  sizes  for  different  purposes.  Instead  of  adopting  one  standard 
size,  as  at  present,  there  should  be  several,  from  2%  inch  cube  to  a  stone  as  large 
as  an  English  sett.  By  so  doing  the  quarries  would  be  enabled  to  use  up  all  of 
their  material  instead  df  wasting  half  of  it  as  they  do  now,  and  there  would  not 
be  that  temptation  to  "run  in"  blocks  of  irregular  size  which  otherwise  (under 
the  present  plan),  must  be  wasted.  If  it  were  known  that  there  would  be  a 
demand  for  paving  blocks  of  these  various  sizes,  the  quarries  would  sort  the 
blocks  as  they  were  made,  keeping  each  size  by  itself;  in  this  way  not  only  could 
practically  all  the  granite  quarried  be  used,  but  blocks  of  uniform  size  could 
always  be  had  for  any  one  particular  piece  of  pavement. 


54  APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 

THE  IMPROPER  USE  OF  THE  STREETS  BY  PRIVATE  INTERESTS 

The  chief  offenders  in  this  respect  are  builders,  transportation  companies, 
dealers  in  country  produce  and  pushcart  men.  The  streets  were  built  and  are 
maintained  at  the  cost  of  the  taxpayers  and  they  should  be  preserved  for  the 
use  of  the  public. 

The  occupancy  of  the  roadway  in  front  of  new  buildings  by  contractors  is 
unnecessary  and  should  not  be  allowed.  The  benefit  which  this  misuse  of  public 
property  affords  to  the  individual  is  far  more  than  offset  by  the  inconvenience  it 
occasions  to  the  public  and  the  injury  which  it  does  to  the  streets.  Neither  should 
building  contractors  be  allowed  to  damage  pavements  and  leave  them  in  that 
condition  until  the  completion  of  the  work.  Notable  instances  of  this  kind  can 
be  seen  on  Broadway  opposite  the  Post-Office  at  the  present  time  (see  Figs.  47  and 
48),  and  on  the  streets  around  the  new  Municipal  Building  at  the  other  side  of  the 
Citv  Hall  Park. 


17.  -Mrnadway    !>rt\w-rn    lian.-lay    Street    and    Park    Place,    looking    northeast    from    Mavclay    ti 

and  showing  twisted   car  tracks,   due   to   sinking  of  the   street   near  the   center   of   the 

block,   and   along  the  western   side  of  the   street.      January    3.    1912. 


APPENDIX    TO    REPORT. 


55 


The  municipality  has  constructed  at  vast  expense  a  broad  marginal  street 
along  the  North  River  which  ever  since  its  completion  has  been  monopolized  to 
a  great  extent  by  private  interests  and  rendered  well-nigh  useless  to  the  public. 

The  dealers  in  country  produce  cumber  the  sidewalk  in  many  of  the  streets, 
especially  in  the  lower  part  of  the  City,  and  line  the  roadway  with  wagons  which 


ig.    48.— Hroaciway    between    ISarclay    Street    and    Park    Place,    looking    east    across    Broadway    and 

showing  the  irregular  surface. 


often  stand  in  the  sanie  place  for  more  than  twelve  hours  at  a  time,  hindering 
traffic  and  interfering  with  the  proper  clearing  of  the  streets. 

Pushcart  men  line  the  roadway  of  certain  streets  with  their  stands  and  other- 
wise interfere  with  traffic  in  other  parts  of  the  City. 

The  use  of  the   streets   for  such  purposes   is   illegitimate  and   should   not  be 
allowed. 


57 


REPORT  OF  THE  SUB-COMMITTEE 
ON  PRESENT  CONDITION  OF  PAVEMENTS 

Your  Sub-Committee  on  the  Present  Condition  of  Pavements  has  made  a  general 
investigation  of  the  pavements  in  Manhattan,  Brooklyn  and  The  Bronx  and  reports 
thereon  as  follows : 

While  your  Committee  has  not  undertaken  to  make  a  comprehensive  survey  of 
all  of  the  pavements,  it  has  passed  over  a  considerable  number  of  the  principal 
streets,  and  is  able  to  summarize  the  general  conditions  and  to  set  forth  some  of  the 
apparent  causes  of  the  defects  noted. 

STONE  PAVEMENTS 

These  may  be  conveniently  divided  into  the  Ancient  Type,  the  Intermediate  Type, 
and  the  Present  Type. 

ANCIENT  TYPE.  This  designates  granite  and  Belgian  block,  laid  on  sand.  No  new 
pavement  of  this  class  has  been  laid  for  several  years,  the  type  having  been  abandoned 
as  unsuitable,  but  upwards  of  177  miles  were  in  service,  at  the  beginning  of  1911, 
exclusive  of  that  in  the  Borough  of  The  Bronx  (the  data  for  which  is  not  obtainable). 
This  is  divided  as  follows : 

Manhattan    22  miles 

Brooklyn    123       " 

Queens   29      " 

Richmond   3       " 

Practically  all  of  this  pavement  in  the  various  boroughs  is  in  intolerable  condition, 
because  of  fundamental  defects  inherent  in  the  type,  which  preclude  permanence  of 
alignment  and  make  impracticable  the  maintenance  of  even  a  reasonably  smooth  sur- 
face. Although  repairs  are  constantly  in  progress,  they  result  only  in  the  removal 
of  some  of  the  most  aggravated  or  dangerous  defects  and  do  not  produce  any 
approximation  to  a  good  pavement.  Outlays  for  maintenance  upon  these  pavements 
is  highly  uneconomical,  as  the  result  is  of  little  benefit  and  the  need  for  further  outlay 
is  continuous.  The  entire  extent  of  these  radically  poor  pavements  should  be  removed 
and  be  replaced  by  a  better  type  as  speedily  as  possible. 

A  number  of  the  cross  streets  in  Lower  Manhattan  have  this  obsolete  type  of 
pavement.  The  pavements  in  these  streets  are  continuously  in  extremely  bad  condition, 
despite  the  fact  that  frequent  and  extensive  so-called  repairs  have  been  made  during 
several  years  past.  It  would  probably  be  impossible  to  find  an  extent  of  ten  feet  any- 
where in  any  of  these  streets  where  the  surface  conforms  to  the  proper  profile,  and 
nearly  every  square  yard  contains  protrusions  or  depressions,  frequently  of  several 
inches  extent.  These  Defects  are  greatly  aggravated  by  the  condition  of  the  manhole 
settings  and  covers  which  are  more  fully  discussed  below. 

The  defective  condition  of  stone  pavements  on  sand,  outlined  above,  is  characteristic 
of  and  general  to  those  pavements  wherever  found.  It  is  not  due  to  laxity  or 
neglect  on  the  part  of  the  present  administration  but  to  inherent  fundamental  defects 
which  cannot  be  cured  or  effectively  palliated.  The  only  remedy  is  new  pavements  of 
better  type. 


58  PRESENT    CONDITION    OF    PAVEMENTS. 

THE  INTERMEDIATE  TYPE.  One  prime  defect  of  stone  pavements  on  sand  \vas  an 
unstable  foundation.  To  overcome  this  difficulty  concrete  foundations  were  adopted 
in  the  Intermediate  Type  of  Pavement;  and  all  the  stone  pavements  laid  in  this 
City  in  recent  years  have  been  on  concrete. 

The  old  pavement,  however,  had  other  serious  defects,  and  all  these,  without 
exception,  were  continued  in  the  Intermediate  Type.  These  defects  are : 

(a)  Large  size  of  blocks 

(b)  Irregularity  of  blocks 

(c)  Too  wide  joints 

(d)  Imperfect  grouting  of  blocks 
To  these  were  added 

(e)  Defective  concrete  in  foundation 

(f)  Imperfect  surfacing  of  concrete 

Because  of  the  imperfect  surfacing  of  the  concrete  foundation  and  the  irregularity 
of  the  bottom  surface  of  the  blocks,  a  sand  cushion  of  one  inch  or  more  is  required 
to  bed  the  block,  and  this  frequently  permits  the  block  to  ride  or  tilt,  because  of  its 
uneven  bottom  surface  and  unequal  bottom  support.  It  also  tends  to  an  uneven  upper 
surface.  Because  of  the  depth  of  the  block,  the  grout  chills  before  reaching  the 
bottom  and  does  not  cement  the  bottom  properly.  This,  together  with  the  wide 
joints,  permits  slight  motion  of  the  blocks  which  opens  the  joints  and  permits  the 
percolation  of  moisture.  If  the  concrete  be  poor,  as  is  often  the  case,  some  disintegra- 
tion follows,  the  soil  below  is  softened,  and  settling  of  the  surface  follows.  Wide 
joints  also  cause  increased  rounding  of  the  edges  of  the  block,  and  thereby  produce 
a  markedly  ridged  surface  in  place  of  the  more  nearly  plane  surface  produced  by 
small  blocks. 

While,  therefore,  the  Intermediate  Type,  by  reason  of  the  substitution  of  concrete 
for  sand  foundation  has  resulted  in  a  substantially  improved  surface,  it  still  retains 
important  characteristic  defects,  which  are  evident  wherever  it  has  been  in  use  for 
a  few  years,  and  which  are  sufficient  to  condemn  its  continued  use. 

Until  very  recently  this  type  of  pavement — large,  rough  granite  blocks  of  irregular 
dimensions,  laid  with  wide  joints,  on  concrete — has  been  accepted  as  a  wholly  acceptable 
substitute  for  the  earlier  discredited  granite  and  sand  pavement. 

Although  a  great  improvement  over  the  older  type,  it  is  still  far  from  ideal.  Of 
this  pavement  Manhattan  has  87  miles  and  Brooklyn  44  miles.  Typical  examples 
may  be  seen  in  Broadway  between  Chambers  and  Canal  Streets  and  in  Lafayette  Street 
where  the  characteristic  defects  noted  above  may  be  observed. 

While  the  general  surface  of  these  streets  is  fairly  uniform,  numerous  defects 
in  detail  are  found  at  close  intervals.  Occasional  slight  depressions  indicate  a  slight 
breaking  down  of  the  foundation.  These  are  especially  observable  along  the  street 
car  rails,  at  cross  walks,  and  about  manhole  openings.  The  joints  are  wide  and 
irregular,  and  in  consequence  the  surface  is  much  ridged  in  places,  owing  to  wear  at 
the  edges.  In  streets  of  very  heavy  traffic,  these  defects  are  emphasized,  and  the 
surface  is  generally  uneven. 

PRESENT  TYPE.  This  designates  stone  pavements  recently  laid  upon  concrete  founda- 
tions, composed  of  granite  blocks  considerably  smaller  in  all  dimensions  than  those 
formerly  used,  more  carefully  dressed,  having  narrower  joints,  and  well  grouted. 
This  type  has  been  adopted  in  Manhattan.  Brooklyn  and  The  Bronx,  and  it  has 
been  laid  in  several  streets  in  each  Borough.  It  recognizes  and  avoids  some  of 
the  defects  of  the  Intermediate  Type,  and  if  laid  in  strict  accordance  with  speci- 


PRESENT    CONDITION    OF    PAVEMENTS.  59 

fications,  doubtless  provides  a  standard  of  stone  pavements  higher  than  any  hitherto 
used  in  this  City  It  is  nevertheless  open  to  criticism  in  certain  details  of  construction, 
which  are  explained  by  another  Committee. 

Examples  of  this  pavement  are  those  in  Fourth  Avenue  and  Mulberry  Street.  Their 
surface  in  general  is  much  smoother  and  more  uniform  than  that  of  any  preceding 
stone  streets.  In  the  case  of  Fourth  Avenue,  however,  frequent  depressions  are 
already  observable — although  the  pavement  is  almost  new — along  the  street-car  rails, 
due  either  to  poor  construction  or  defective  specifications. 

Pavements  of  this  class  observed  in  Brooklyn  and  The  Bronx  showed  uniform 
and  relatively  smooth  surface,  and  were  in  excellent  condition. 

None  of  this  new  pavement  has  yet  been  subjected  to  a  long  enough  test  to  demon- 
strate its  ability  to  maintain  a  uniform  surface  under  traffic  conditions. 


ASPHALT  PAVEMENTS 

The  extent  of  asphalt  pavement  in  use  in  this  City  at  the  beginning  of  1911  was 
approximately  as  follows : 

Sheet  Block 

Manhattan   260  miles  53  miles 

Brooklyn    395      "  26      " 

Bronx   39      "  49 

Queens    20      "  10 

Richmond    ^2       "  gl/2  " 

Assuming  originally  good  construction,  the  chief  problem  connected  with  this 
class  of  pavements  is  effective  maintenance  of  the  surface.  This  comprehends : 

(a)  Defects  caused  by  traffic 

(b)  Openings  for  sub-surface  construction 

(a)     DEFECTS  CAUSED  BY  TRAFFIC. 

At  the  present  time  these  are  relatively  few  compared  with  conditions  of  former 
years.  In  a  trip  of  some  sixty  miles  in  Brooklyn  not  more  than  half  a  dozen  traffic 
holes  were  noted,  and  those  were  small  and  recent.  In  this  respect  the  surface  of 
the  asphalt  pavements  was  in  admirable  condition,  indicating  effective  inspection  and 
prompt  repair.  In  Brooklyn  a  municipal  asphalt  repair  plant  is  in  operation,  by  means 
of  which  the  Borough  President  is  enabled  to  promptly  enforce  the  maintenance 
obligations  of  contractors,  formerly  enforcible  only  after  considerable  delay.  It  should 
also  be  noted  that  most  of  the  asphalt  pavements  of  Brooklyn  are  comparatively 
new,  that  the  traffic  is  relatively  light,  and  that  difficulties  of  maintenance  are  there- 
fore not  so  great  as  in  Manhattan. 

A  survey  of  the  avenues  and  many  of  the  cross  streets  in  Manhattan  below  I35th 
Street  showed  that,  with  relation  to  traffic  defects,  the  condition  of  most  of  the  asphalt 
pavements  is  fair.  With  certain  exceptions  noted  below,  not  many  traffic  holes  were 
found  to  exist.  No  large  or  old  traffic  holes  (aside  from  those  on  the  streets 
excepted)  were  noted,  and  repair  gangs  were  seemingly  keeping  closely  up  with  their 
work.  Members  of  your  Committee  who  in  previous  years  several  times  minutely 
inspected  every  street  in,  Manhattan  are  qualified  to  compare  existing  conditions  of 
maintenance  with  those  of  the  past,  and  to  state  that  so  far  as  traffic  defects  are 
concerned  the  asphalt  pavements  of  Manhattan  are  far  better  than  in  former  years. 

An  exception  to  this  general  condition  is  7th  Avenue  South  of  23rd  Street,  whose 
surface  is  extremely  bad.  The  pavement  was  laid  nearly  ten  years  ago  and  the 
asphalt  is  so  far  decomposed  as  quickly  to  disintegrate  under  the  action  of  moisture. 
Constant  and  general  repairs  are  necessary  to  maintain  the  surface  in  even  approxi- 


60  PRESENT    CONDITION    OF    PAVEMENTS. 

mately  smooth  condition.  This  process  of  constant  repairing  required  by  the  age  and 
wornout  condition  of  the  pavement,  was  recently  intermitted  for  a  short  time,  with 
the  result  that  numerous  holes  speedily  developed  and  at  the  time  of  observation  the 
surface  generally,  over  the  area  indicated,  was  in  very  defective  condition.  This  was 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  responsible  contractors  had  recently  retired  from  business, 
and  had  sub-let  the  maintenance  to  another  contractor  whose  equipment  at  the 
moment  was  inadequate.  Immediately  following  our  inspection  the  Borough  President 
served  a  notice  requiring  summary  repairs,  which  have  since  been  made. 

(b)     OPENINGS  FOR  SUB-SURFACE  CONSTRUCTION. 

In  former  years  openings  made  by  plumbers  and  in  connection  with  building 
operations  were  permitted  to  continue  unrepaired  indefinitely,  and  existed  in  great 
numbers.  The  conditions  in  this  respect  have  greatly  improved.  Relatively  few 
service  openings  were  observed,  and  those  seen  were  obviously  new,  indicating 
that  openings  of  this  class  are  no  longer  neglected  for  a  considerable  time,  but 
are  repaired  with  reasonable  promptitude  upon  completion  of  the  underground 
work. 

Openings  made  by  public  service  corporations  likewise  appear  as  a  rule  to  be 
repaired  with  an  improved  degree  of  promptness,  few  instances  of  neglect  in  this 
particular  having  been  observed.  Certain  apparent  exceptions  were,  however, 
noted. 

One  of  these  was  in  Greenwich  Avenue  where  a  large  extent  of  pavement 
throughout  two  blocks  had  been  torn  up  to  find  a  gas  leak — a  case  of  emergency. 
The  extent  of  the  destruction  and  the  otherwise  bad  condition  rendered  it  desirable 
to  repave  the  entire  street  instead  of  repairing  it,  and  before  so  doing  to  effect 
the  removal  of  the  unused  car  tracks.  The  preliminaries  necessary  to  this  action 
were  pushed  as  rapidly  as  possible,  but  could  not  be  completed  in  time  to  permit 
the  new  pavement  to  be  laid  before  cold  weather.  As  soon  as  this  became  evident, 
orders  were  given  for  the  temporary  resurfacing  of  the  defective  places,  and  this 
has  since  been  done. 

Openings  made  by  the  Department  of  Water  Supply,  Gas  and  Electricity  are 
frequent  in  the  lower  part  of  the  City  where  the  installation  of  the  high-pressure 
service  has  been  in  progress.  The  restoration  of  the  pavements  is  provided  for 
by  contracts  made  by  the  Water  Commissioner,  over  whose  terms  the  Borough 
President  has  no  effective  control.  The  process  of  restoration  is  therefore  very 
dilatory,  and  much  of  the  complaint  of  bad  pavements  is  due  to  this  cause,  namely, 
the  delay  of  contractors  employed  by  and  responsible  to  the  Water  Department. 

In  a  lesser  degree  the  same  criticism  applies  to  the  operations  of  the  Fire 
Department  in  its  installation  of  new  fire-alarm  connections.  The  work  is  carried 
on  without  regard  to  public  convenience  and  without  reference  to  the  physical 
possibility  of  prompt  replacement  of  the  pavement.  In  this  work  it  was  recently 
proposed,  in  the  Borough  of  Manhattan,  to  make  over  1,000  openings  at  one  time, 
at  the  beginning  of  the  Winter,  most  of  which  would  of  necessity  have  remained 
open  until  Spring. 

STREET  RAILWAYS 

In  all  parts  of  the  City  observed  by  your  Committee,  particularly  in  Brooklyn, 
the  condition  of  the  pavements  between  and  adjacent  to  street  railway  tracks  is 
in  general  inferior  and  often  decidedly  defective. 

There  is  seldom  any  considerable  extent  of  these  pavements  whose  surface  is 
fairly  uniform  with  that  of  the  remainder  of  the  street.  In  the  case  of  asphalt 
pavements,  that  portion  immediately  in  contact  with  the  rails,  is  usually  more  or 
less  disintegrated,  at  frequent  intervals  sunken  below  the  level  of  the  rail-head, 


PRESENT    CONDITION    OF    PAVEMENTS.  61 

small  ruts  along  the  outer  edges  of  the  rails  are  common,  and  at  crossings,  the 
surface  is  generally  badly  broken. 

In  the  case  of  stone  pavements  the  tiers  of  blocks  next  the  rails  seldom  maintain 
their  proper  surface,  even  the  newest  pavements  showing  some  depressions  and 
inequalities  at  this  point,  because  the  blocks  have  no  proper  support  against  the  rails. 
In  the  older  stone  pavements  sunken  blocks,  considerable  depressions  and  general 
inequality  are  frequent. 

These  defects  are  often  present,  within  the  track  area,  in  streets  whose  condi- 
tion otherwise  is  satisfactory,  from  which  it  may  be  assumed  that  the  maintenance 
of  the  track  area  (which  is  delegated  to  the  street  railways)  is  not  as  effectively 
cared  for  as  the  adjacent  areas  under  the  direct  care  of  the  Borough  President. 

The  care  of  the  pavements  within  and  bordering  the  tracks  is  a  franchise 
obligation  of  the  companies.  The  obligation  of  repair  can  only  be  enforced  by 
the  Borough  President  after  thirty  days'  notice,  and  under  this  limitation  defects 
continue  much  longer  than  should  be  permitted. 


MAN-HOLES 

The  variations  in  the  types  of  man-hole  frames  and  covers,  and  their  unequal 
projection  is  one  of  the  gravest  defects  in  the  pavements  of  Manhattan.  This  is 
particularly  true  as  to  stone  pavements. 

In  some  cases  both  the  frame  and  cover  project  above  the  general  level  of  the 
surrounding  pavements.  Immediately  adjacent  may  be  seen  others  which  are 
below  the  general  level.  The  result  is  an  alternation  of  hillock  and  depression, 
with  ruts  and  holes  due  to  the  unequal  impact  of  traffic.  Occasionally  several 
man-holes  of  varying  types  may  be  found  closely  grouped,  no  two  of  which  are  in 
true  relation  to  each  other  or  to  the  surface.  An  example  of  these  defects  may  be 
seen  at  the  intersection  of  Leonard  and  Lafayette  Streets. 

An  objectionable  type  of  man-hole  cover  in  use  in  Manhattan,  is  dish-shaped 
or  concave,  so  that  even  if  the  frame  is  in  proper  plane,  the  cover  itself  makes  an 
abrupt  depression  two  inches  in  depth.  No  valid  reason  for  permitting  the  use  of  this 
type  of  cover  can  be  given. 

A  marked  contrast  in  this  particular  is  seen  in  Brooklyn  where  the  man-hole 
frames  are  accurately  surfaced  with  the  pavement,  and  covers  of  a  uniform  type, 
flush  with  the  frame  and  the  pavement,  are  in  use  in  the  newer  pavements. 

Your  Committee  believes  that  the  excellent  and  commendable  condition  of  the 
asphalt  pavements  in  Brooklyn  is  in  large  degree  due  to  the  existence  of  a  city 
asphalt  repair  plant  in  that  Borough,  through  whose  operation  the  Borough  Presi- 
dent is  enabled  to  enforce  prompt  performance  by  maintenance  contractors  of 
their  obligations. 

In  the  Borough  of  Manhattan  while  the  Borough  President  has  of  late  been 
able  to  secure  fairly  prompt  repairs  by  contractors,  instances  have  arisen  as  set 
forth  above  in  which  this  has  not  been  the  case.  A  city  repair  plant  will  un- 
doubtedly greatly  strengthen  the  ability  of  the  Borough  President  in  this  respect. 

Your  Committee  is  further  informed  that  while  the  aggregate  plants  of  the 
maintenance  contractors  under  obligation  to  the  City  are  entirely  adequate  to 
effect  prompt  repairs 'during  the  Summer  and  Fall,  they  are  not  adequate,  under 
present  methods,  to  promptly  cope  with  the  cumulated  defects  which  follow  the 
Winter  season,  during  which  few  if  any  repairs  are  made.  Your  Committee  cannot 
endorse  the  continuous  omission  of  repair  work  during  the  Winter.  Asphalt  pave- 
ments, especially  if  old  or  of  inferior  quality  disintegrate  rapidly  under  the  action 
of  continued  moisture  and  cold,  and  in  consequence  a  general  condition  of  disrepair 


62  PRESENT    CONDITION    OF    PAVEMENTS. 

is  almost  certain  to  exist  in  the  early  Spring.  At  this  time  the  demands  for 
repairs  are  considerably  beyond  the  immediate  capacity  of  some  of  the  contractors, 
having  the  care  of  a  large  extent  of  pavement,  while  others  having  much  less 
extent  have  a  portion  of  their  plant  idle. 

In  consequence  of  this  uneven  distribution  and  the  restriction  of  the  repairs 
upon  certain  streets  to  specified  contractors,  the  work  is  protracted  during  a 
considerable  period,  during  which  the  public  justly  complain  of  the  condition  of 
the  streets. 

The  only  cure  for  this  condition  is  either  the  abolition  of  maintenance  contracts 
or  their  modification  in  such  form  as  to  permit  the  entire  available  force  of  all 
the  contractors  to  be  employed  wherever  their  services  are  needed.  Your  Com- 
mittee is  unable  to  express  an  opinion  as  to  whether  or  not  this  is  practicable. 

F.  B.  DE  BERARD, 
JOHN  C.  EAMES, 
ROBERT   GRIER   COOKE, 
RICHARD  W.  MEADE. 
January  24,  1912. 


REPORT  OF  THE  SUB-COMMITTEE 
ON  THE  CONTROL  OF  STREET  OPENINGS  AND  REPAIRS 

Your  Committee  has  held  a  number  of  meetings,  its  members  have  had  personal 
interviews  with  some  of  the  City  officials  and  have  been  assisted  by  an  engineer, 
Mr.  Thomas  S.  Griffin,  and  by  the  preliminary  reports  of  the  Sub-Committee  on 
Legislation. 

Section  391  of  the  Charter  gives  each  Borough  President,  within  his  Borough, 
control  over  the  making  of  openings  in  the  streets  and  the  repairing  of  pavements 
excepting  only  such  street  surfaces  as  are  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Park,  Dock 
and  Bridge  Departments.  His  permit  must  be  obtained  before  the  surface  of  any 
street  under  his  control  can  be  opened  or  disturbed  by  private  citizens,  corporations 
or  city  departments.  This  power  is  subject  to  the  ordinances  and  regulations  passed 
by  the  Board  of  Aldermen  and  the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment,  but  we  do 
not  find  any  ordinance  or  regulation  that  hampers  the  Borough  Presidents  in  this 
matter. 

In  all  of  the  Boroughs,  except  Queens,  a  system  of  street  inspection  under  the 
Borough  President,  is  established.  In  Queens  a  system  is  now  being  devised.  Each  of 
these  four  Boroughs  is  divided  into  districts  and  Inspectors  assigned  to  each  District 
are  required  to  report  encumbrances  upon  and  defects  in  or  injuries  to  the  pave- 
ments and  to  see  that  permits  to  make  cuts  in  the  pavements  or  to  store  building 
material  in  the  street  are  not  violated.  In  Manhattan  and  Brooklyn  this  work  is 
naturally  more  subdivided  than  in  the  Bronx  and  Richmond,  but  a  detailed  statement 
of  the  method  pursued  in  each  separate  Borough  is  unnecessary.  The  chief  defects 
in  controlling  street  openings  and  repairs  are : 

(1)  The  latitude  allowed  to  or  assumed  by  other  city  departments  in  making  and 
refilling  openings  in  the  streets. 

(2)  The  requirements  that  the  street  railroads  shall  keep  in  permanent  repair  the 
pavement  between  and  for  two  feet  outside  of  their  tracks. 

(3)  The  so-called  maintenance  contracts,  i.  e.,  agreements  by  contractors  who  laid 
the  pavement  to  maintain  it  in  good  repair  for  a  period  of  years. 

(4)  The  neglect  to   so   refill  both  large  and  small  openings  that  the  permanent 
pavement  can  be  at  once  replaced. 

(5)  The  apparent  inability  of  the  inspectors  to   recognize   as   a  real   defect   any 
hole,    roughness   or  irregularity  in  the  pavement   unless   it  is   actually  dangerous  to 
vehicles,  horses  or  pedestrians. 

(6)  Failure  to  compel  citizens  or  corporations  to  repair  defects,  promptly. 

(7)  Employment  as  inspectors  of  men  who  are  paid  $4  a  day  and  laid  off  when 
not  working. 

FIRST  :  The  Department  of  Water  Supply,  Gas  &  Electricity  and  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment obtain  many  permits  from  the  Borough  Presidents  to  open  the  streets.  On 
account  of  the  importance  of  their  work  their  applications  are  rarely  denied  and  the 
requirement  that  they  make  application  is  in  practice  hardly  more  than  a  formality. 
The  contractors  under  these  Departments  agree  not  only  to  dig  the  trenches  and  lay 


64  CONTROL    OF    STREET    OPENINGS   AND   REPAIRS. 

the  pipes,  wires  or  conduits  but  also  to  refill  the  trenches,  replace  the  pavement 
temporarily  and  frequently  to  permanently  repave.  On  streets  under  maintenance 
contracts  the  guarantor  does  the  permanent  repaying  at  the  expense  of  the  contractor 
making  the  excavation.  The  specification  in  some  of  these  contracts  that  the  pavement 
shall  be  restored  in  a  manner  satisfactory  to  the  Borough  President  does  not 
accomplish  that  result  and  the  Borough  Presidents  exercise  practically  no  control  over 
this  work. 

In  order  to  get  a  good  pavement  over  these  trenches  they  must  be  properly  back 
filled,  that  is,  a  proper  quality  of  dirt  must  be  used  and  thoroughly  rammed;  other- 
wise the  ground  will  settle  after  the  pavement  has  been  restored.  The  contractors  are 
only  interested  in  digging  the  trench,  laying  the  pipes  and  conduits  and  back  filling 
as  rapidly  as  possible,  provided  the  back  fill  looks  all  right.  They  never  back  fill  so 
that  the  permanent  pavement  can  be  at  once  restored,  but  a  temporary  pavement  of 
loose  stones,  etc.,  that  wagons  and  horses  can  go  over  is  put  on  the  top  of  the  trench 
and  after  some  weeks  when  the  traffic  has  had  an  opportunity  to  consolidate  the 
ground  the  permanent  pavement  is  relaid.  Frequently  depressions  develop  in  the 
permanent  pavement  along  the  line  of  the  trench,  and  in  any  event  there  is  a  long 
period  when  there  is  a  stretch  of  bad  pavement  and  all  this  time  the  adjacent  good 
pavement  is  subject  to  unnecessary  injury.  The  law  should  require  that  these 
trenches  be  so  back  filled  that  the  permanent  pavement  can  be  at  once  restored. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  the  Borough  Presidents  now  have  sufficient  authority 
to  require  this  back  filling  to  be  performed  in  a  proper  manner.  In  fact,  however, 
no  such  authority  is  exercised. 

This  matter  can  be  corrected  by  an  amendment  to  the  Charter,  providing  that 
no  City  Department  outside  of  the  Borough  Presidents  and  no  citizen  or  corporation 
which  obtains  a  permit  to  make  an  opening  in  the  street  shall  make  any  contract 
requiring  a  contractor  to  back  fill  or  shall  on  his  or  its  own  account  refill  an  opening 
or  cut  in  the  street,  but  that  all  such  work  and  all  relaying  of  pavement  except  of 
course  the  relaying  of  pavements  in  streets  under  maintenance  contracts  shall  be 
done  by  employes  of  the  Borough  President. 

This  would  require  a  larger  force  than  the  Borough  Presidents  now  have,  but  at  the 
present  time  the  Borough  President's  employes  refill  and  relay  the  pavements  on  many 
small  cuts,  and  if  they  were  required  to  do  this  work  on  all  openings,  it  would  fix  the 
responsibility  for  bad  pavements  much  more  plainly  than  is  now  the  case.  They  would 
have  sole  charge  and  it  would  be  for  their  interest  to  see  that  the  entire  work  was 
well  done. 

SECOND:  By  Sec.  178  of  the  Railroad  Law,  the  street  railways  are  required  to  keep 
in  permanent  repair  the  space  between  their  tracks  and  two  feet  on  each  side.  Some 
of  the  franchises  and  charters  also  contain  provisions  as  to  such  paving.  Where  a 
railroad  fails  to  make  repairs,  the  Borough  President  sends  notice  requiring  the 
repair  to  be  made,  and  if  this  notice  is  not  obeyed  in  thirty  days,  he  is  authorized  to 
go  ahead  and  make  the  repairs  at  the  railroad's  expense.  In  many  streets,  therefore, 
there  is  a  wide  space  which  the  Borough  President  has  only  a  limited  authority  to 
repair.  The  railroads  are  not  zealous  to  correct  defects  which  they  do  not  consider 
dangerous  to  traffic.  In  any  event,  they  have  thirty  days  after  notice,  and  if  then 
in  default  the  Borough  President  has  only  a  limited  amount  of  money  with  which 
to  do  the  work.  To  instance  one  case  we  understand  that  a  suit  by  the  City  is  now 
pending  against  one  street  railroad  to  recover  over  $9,000  for  such  work  which  was 
done  on  Jamaica  Avenue.  The  amount  which  the  City  will  recover  and  when  it  will 
get  the  money  is  decidedly  problematical.  Again  the  Receivers  of  the  Manhattan  Street 
railroads  did  not  consider  that  they  had  authority  to  make  such  repairs. 


CONTROL    OF    STREET    OPENINGS    AND   REPAIRS.  65 

These  provisions  of  the  law  are  entirely  unsuited  to  the  conditions  in  this  city. 
The  whole  surface  of  the  street  ought  to  be  under  the  control  of  the  Borough  Presi- 
dent, and  he  should  be  responsible  for  all  paving  and  repairing.  We  suggest  that  the 
City  officials  agree  with  the  Companies  that  this  paving  be  done  by  the  City  at  the 
expense  of  the  railroads.  Pending  such  agreement,  we  think  that  Sec.  178  should  be 
amended  so  that  in  this  City  the  railroads  must  comply  with  the  Borough  President's 
order  within  five  days,  instead  of  within  thirty  days,  and  that  all  repairs  and  repaving 
by  the  railroads  be  actually  clone  under  the  inspection  and  supervision  of  the 
Borough  President. 

THIRD:  Many  of  the  wood  and  asphalt  pavements  are  laid  under  contracts  by 
which  the  contractor  agrees  to  keep  the  pavement  in  repair  for  a  number  of  years. 
The  more  recent  contracts  fix  a  maintenance  period  of  five  years.  Where  a  defect 
appears  in  such  a  pavement  a  notice  is  sent  to  the  contractor,  but  he  does  not  make 
the  repair  until  other  defects  have  developed  in  the  same  neighborhood  so  that 
there  is  enough  work  in  a  small  area  to  pay  for  sending  a  gang  of  men  with  the 
necessary  tools,  supplies  and  roller.  In  future  no  pavements  should  be  laid  under 
contracts  which  require  maintenance  for  more  than  a  year  and  adequate  inspection 
should  be  provided  to  compel  compliance  with  the  specifications  when  the  pavement  is 
laid.  It  is  possible  for  each  Borough  President  to  maintain  a  force  of  competent  and 
honest  inspectors  who  will  compel  each  contractor  to  obey  the  specifications.  At  least, 
it  should  be  attempted. 

FOURTH  :  It  is  a  very  general  practice  to  back  fill  both  large  and  small  trenches, 
make  some  sort  of  a  temporary  covering  on  the  dirt  and  wait  for  considerable  periods 
of  time  for  the  ground  to  settle  before  permanently  repaving.  With  proper  care 
the  dirt  can  be  replaced  in  all  trenches  and  sufficiently  consolidated  to  make  it  safe 
and  expedient  to  relay  the  permanent  pavement  at  once.  This  practice  of  waiting 
before  permanently  repaving  is  a  great  source  of  inconvenience,  dust  and  injury 
to  vehicles,  and  is  also  unnecessarily  expensive  because  during  the  period  that  the 
traffic  is  passing  over  the  refilled  but  unpaved  trench  the  edges  of  the  adjacent  good 
pavements  are  being  broken,  the  foundation  suffers  injury  and  the  area  of  pave- 
ment that  must  be  relaid  is  constantly  increasing. 

FIFTH  :  We  submitted  to  the  Borough  President's  office  in  Manhattan  a  request 
for  a  report  on  five  separate  defects  which  obviously  called  for  immediate  repair. 
We  received  the  following  reply : 

"December  20,  1911. 
Memorandum  for  Assistant  Commissioner: 

Greemvich  Avenue,  between  "jth  and  8th  Avenues.  Mainly  cuts  made  by  the 
Consolidated  Gas  Company  in  overhauling  services  which  were  in  bad  con- 
dition. The  relaying  of  a  foundation  pavement  was  started  December  14,  1911, 
as  soon  as  the  Gas  Co.  had  gotten  off  the  street,  and  these  are  being  asphalted 
to-day. 

Broadivay  and  Barclay  Street.  There  is  nothing  dangerous  at  this  inter- 
section. Broadway,  from  Barclay  Street  to  Park  Place  has  settled  considerably 
because  of  the  excavation  for  the  Woolworth  Building.  This  will  be  remedied 
by  the  contractors  for  the  above  building  as  soon  as  the  front  wall  can  be 
built  to  the  street  level.  This  settlement  extends  to  the  sidewalk  around  the 
Post  Office  I  am  informed  that  the  Federal  authorities  have  arranged  a 
contract  for  a  new  sidewalk  on  the  east  side  of  Broadway  but  will  not  begin 
the  work  until  the  Woolworth  Building  is  far  enough  advanced  to  prevent 
further  settlement. 

Broadzi'ay  and  Grand  Street.  Nothing  dangerous  at  this  point.  The  track 
on  Broadway,  south  of  Grand  Street,  has  settled  and  the  railroad  company  has 


66  CONTROL    OF    STREET    OPENINGS    AND    REPAIRS'. 

applied  for  a  permit  to  raise  this  track,  but  as  it  is  not  dangerous,  we  are 
trying  to  postpone  the  tearing  up  of  this  portion  of  Broadway  until  better 
weather  for  good  progress  on  this  work. 

Nassau  and  Bcckman  Streets.  Can  find  no  fault  here  other  than  a  slight 
adjustment  of  the  wood  block  pavement  adjacent  to  the  new  asphalt  on  Nassau 
Street.  This  was  receiving  attention  and  the  concrete  has  been  placed.  The 
wood  block  pavement  will  be  laid  very  shortly. 

Park  Row  and  Municipal  Building.  The  pavement  conditions  here  have 
been  due  to  the  work  of  the  Bridge  Department  in  the  construction  of  the 
new  Municipal  Building.  That  Department  has  had  the  pavement  put  in  good 
condition  but  will  not  replace  the  permanent  pavement  until  further  sub-surface 
work  has  been  done." 

Thus  in  two  out  of  the  five  instances  the  report  starts  with  the  statement  that 
there  is  "nothing  dangerous"  at  the  point.  The  defects  at  Beekman  and  Nassau 
Streets  were  depressions  in  the  wood  block  pavement  on  Beekman  Street  but  they 
extended  practically  the  whole  width  of  Nassau  on  the  north  side  of  Beekman 
and  were  sufficient  to  severely  jolt  any  carriage,  truck  or  automobile  passing  along 
Nassau.  They  were  therefore  defects  in  the  line  of  a  short  street  that  had  just 
been  repaved  with  asphalt  at  great  inconvenience  to  the  travelling  public  and  store- 
keepers. Repairs  were  made  shortly  after  the  report  but  similar  though  smaller 
depressions  now  exist  on  the  line  of  the  south  intersection  of  Beekman  with  Nassau, 
which  are  daily  growing  larger  and  need  immediate  repair. 

The  condition  of  Broadway  from  Park  Place  to  Barclay  may  not  be  technically 
"dangerous"  but  it  is  disgraceful.  We  see  no  reason  why  this  condition  should 
continue  until  the  contractors  for  the  Woolworth  Building  are  ready  to  correct  it. 
This  street  should  be  kept  in  good  condition  even  if  repairs  have  to  be  made,  at 
the  contractor's  expense,  several  times  during  the  progress  of  their  building  opera- 
tions. Now  the  condition  will  probably  continue  until  spring. 

The  actual  condition  of  the  pavements  in  Manhattan  shows  both  that  the  In- 
spectors do  not  consider  as  defects  roughnesses,  holes  and  imperfections,  unless  of 
sufficient  size  to  be  actually  dangerous  to  the  traffic,  and  that  they  do  not  insist  on 
sufficient  promptness  on  the  part  of  persons  and  corporations  whose  duty  it  is  to 
repair  defects.  Their  standards  in  both  respects  should  be  raised. 

SIXTH  :  A  considerable  number  of  men  are  employed  as  inspectors  of  work  on 
the  pavements  at  the  rate  of  $4  a  day  and  are  laid  off  without  pay  when  there  is  no 
work  for  them,  particularly  in  the  winter. 

Competent  and  efficient  men  cannot  be  obtained  on  this  basis.  The  inspectors 
should  be  men  of  sufficient  education  and  experience  to  be  employed  by  the  year  at  a 
reasonable  salary  and  during  the  winter  season  when  the  work  on  the  streets  is 
reduced  to  a  minimum  they  could  be  profitably  employed  at  indoor  work  in  the 
offices  of  the  Bureaus  of  Highways. 

SEVENTH  :  We  have  also  considered  the  question  of  restricting  by  law  the  length 
of  street  that  can  be  opened  at  one  time  for  the  purpose  of  laying  pipes,  building 
sewers  and  similar  work.  We  are  advised  that  an  absolute  restriction  is  not  feasible 
because  of  the  unexpected  and  unmapped  pipes,  sewers  or  other  subsurface  structures 
that  are  constantly  discovered  in  doing  such  work  and  because  short  stretches 
of  rock  or  the  lack  of  a  special  piece  of  pipe  or  other  appliance  sometimes 
makes  it  necessary  to  keep  a  trench  open  after  the  rest  of  the  work  is  finished. 
We  suggest  that  a  maximum  be  fixed  by  law  and  if  the  contractor  has  to  keep  open 
a  longer  trench  he  should  pay  a  fixed  fee  for  each  day  the  excess  is  open. 


CONTROL    OF    STREET    OPENINGS    AND   REPAIRS.  67 

EIGHTH  :  In  Brooklyn,  the  City  owns  an  asphalt  repair  plant  which  is  operated 
under  the  authority  of  the  Borough  President.  This  has  worked  satisfactorily  and 
has  been  of  much  assistance  in  securing  prompt  repair  of  defects  due  to  wear  and  to 
small  openings.  In  Manhattan,  a  similar  repair  plant  has  been  authorized  and  will 
undoubtedly  be  of  substantial  assistance.  In  the  matter  of  small  openings  in  the 
pavements  like  plumbers'  cuts,  making  water  and  gas  connections  with  houses,  etc., 
charging  a  fee  for  the  permit  in  addition  to  the  amount  required  to  replace  the  pave- 
ment would  be  advisable.  It  would  produce  some  revenue  and  would  considerably 
reduce  the  number  of  openings.  Furthermore  the  permit  should  be  for  a  fixed  time 
with  provision  for  an  extra  charge  if  the  time  is  extended. 

AARON  C.  THAYER, 
L.   BARTON  CASE. 
January  17,  1912. 


REPORT  OF    THE   SUB-COMMITTEE  TO  INVESTIGATE  AND 

REPORT  ON  THE  VARIOUS  TYPES  OF  PAVEMENT 

IN  GENERAL  USE  ;   THEIR  COST  AND 

SUITABILITY    TO    VARIOUS 

CLASSES  OF  TRAFFIC 

The  pavements  of  New  York  consist  of  Granite,  Sheet  Asphalt,  Asphalt  Block, 
Wood  Block,  Slag  Block,  Brick,  and  others  which  are  obsolete  or  of  little  importance; 
also  roads  of  Bituminous  Macadam  and  ordinary  Macadam. 

In  the  construction  of  any  pavement  there  must  be  considered:  ist — the  Subsoil; 
2nd — the  Foundation,  and  3rd — the  Wearing  Surface. 

ist.  The  Subsoil:  It  is  self-evident  that  the  soil  underlying  the  pavement  should 
be  uniform  and  well  graded,  affording  an  equally  resistent  support  for  what  is  to  be 
built  upon  it.  All  unsuitable  material  should  be  removed  and  the-  space  filled  with 
proper  material.  The  bed  after  being  trimmed  and  graded  should  be  thoroughly 
compacted  by  rolling  or  tamping.  There  is  no  doubt  that  in  a  great  many  cases 
where  pavements  have  given  way,  it  is  due  to  the  lack  of  a  properly  prepared  sub- 
soil and  too  much  attention  cannot  be  given  to  this  important  feature. 

2nd.  The  Foundation:  With  the  exception  of  the  different  kinds  of  Macadarru 
all  modern  pavements  are  now  laid  on  a  concrete  base  varying  in  thickness  from 
4"  to  8"  and  generally  6".  This  concrete  foundation  or  base  is  the  real  pavement 
which  has  to  support  the  wearing  surface,  the  latter  being  simply  a  covering  or 
veneer  to  protect  it  from  injury;  and  unless  this  base  is  properly  made,  the  entire  con- 
struction is  apt  to  fail.  The  Stone,  Sand  and  Cement  should  all  be  of  the  best 
quality  and  in  such  proportion  as  will  insure  a  perfect  result.  A  good  concrete  base 
if  not  too  much  cut  up  and  patched,  should  outlast  a  number  cf  renewals  of  the 
wearing  surface. 

The  cost  of  the  concrete  in  this  City  runs  from  $4.50  to  $6.00  per  cubic  yard,  which 
for  a  6"  base  is  equivalent  to  75c  to  $1.00  per  square  yard.  Too  great  emphasis  can- 
not be  laid  on  the  importance  of  the  concrete  base,  and  if  a  rigid  enforcement  of 
the  above  recommendations  should  result  in  a  higher  cost,  the  additional  investment 
would  be  a  good  one  for  the  City. 

3rd.  Wearing  Surface :  Granite :  While  this  kind  of  pavement  is  the  most  ex- 
pensive in  original  cost,  it  is,  when  properly  made,  the  most  economical,  because  it  is 
the  most  enduring.  As  made  here  pavements  of  this  sort  are  excessively  rough  and 
noisy  and  are  objected  to  by  many  on  that  account,  but  these  qualities  are  not 
necessary  and  are  mainly  due  to  improper  construction  and  the  use  of  unsuitable 
material.  Our  blocks  are  far  too  large  and  irregular  in  size  so  that  they  cannot 
be  laid  with  a  smooth  surface  or  a  close  joint;  the  granite  is  so  soft  that  wheels  soon 
wear  away  the  edges  of  the  stones ;  the  pavement  becomes  corrugated  and  every  wheel 
that  passes  pounds  and  .aggravates  the  evil.  With  the  use  of  harder  material  more 
exactly  cut  and  carefully  laid  the  main  objections  to  granite  pavements  will  disappear 
and  they  will  surely  become  the  most  acceptable  for  all  streets  of  much  heavy 
trucking. 

In  addition  to  oblong  blocks  of  much  smaller  size  than  we  now  use,  cubes  4",  3^4" 
and  even  less,  should  be  tried  here  as  they  have  given  excellent  results  elsewhere ;  but 
it  must  be  remembered  that  pavements  of  this  material  can  only  give  satisfaction  if 


70  VARIOUS    TYPES    OF    PAVEMENTS. 

made  of  the  very  toughest  and  hardest  kind  of  granite  and  that  the  use  of  granite  as 
soft  as  we  have  been  using  in  the  past  will  surely  result  in  failure. 

Sandstone :  There  is  but  little  of  this  in  the  City  and  while  it  makes  an  acceptable 
pavement  when  new.  it  does  not  wear  well  or  compare  favorably  with  granite. 

Sheet  Asphalt :  There  is  a  very  large  amount  of  this  in  New  York,  much  of  which 
is  fairly  good,  much  indifferent,  and  much  bad.  The  fact  that  bad  asphalt  exists,  that 
it  has  given  way  on  streets,  for  which  it  was  not  suitable,  or  that  it  is  worn  out  on 
so  many  streets,  should  not  prejudice  us  against  its  use  if  properly  laid  on  streets 
where  there  is  little  heavy  trucking.  There  are  many  miles  of  Sheet  Asphalt 
pavements  in  Manhattan  and  Brooklyn,  which  have  been  down  5,  10  and  15  years, 
and  have  given  satisfaction.  To  maintain  Sheet  Asphalt  in  good  condition  it  is 
essential  that  repairs  be  made  promptly ;  this  is  now  being  done  in  Brooklyn  where 
there  is  a  municipal  repair  plant,  and  probably  will  be  done  in  Manhattan  when  the 
new  asphalt  repair  plant  for  that  borough  is  in  operation. 

Asphalt  Block :  This  makes  a  good  pavement  while  new,  but  it  deteriorates  sooner 
than  Sheet  Asphalt  under  the  same  conditions.  It  gives  a  somewhat  better  footing  for 
horses,  which  has  caused  it  to  be  laid  in  many  streets  which  have  grades,  and  it 
can  be  laid  in  districts  which  are  too  far  removed  from  sheet  asphalt  mixing  plants  to 
•enable  the  asphalt  mixture  to  be  brought  there  to  advantage.  Considering  that  its 
cost  is  greater  than  that  of  Sheet  Asphalt  there  does  not  appear  to  be  any  justification 
for  its  extended  use. 

Wood  Block :  A  considerable  quantity  of  Wood  Block  pavement  has  been  laid 
in  New  York  during  the  last  few  years  but  the  area  paved  with  it  is  still  comparatively 
limited.  In  some  streets  it  has  not  proven  successful,  which  may  be  accounted  for  by 
the  inexperience  of  the  contractors  and  in  some  cases  possibly  by  conditions  which 
would  have  been  destructive  of  any  pavement.  In  moist  weather,  when  it  is  covered 
"by  a  film  of  mud,  it  is  the  most  slippery  of  all  pavements,  giving  no  foothold  what- 
ever to  horses ;  it  should  never  be  used  where  there  is  much  grade  on  the  street. 
On  fairly  level  streets,  however,  when  properly  laid,  it  is  a  desirable  pavement,  noise- 
less, and  pleasant  to  ride  over. 

Slag  Block :  These  blocks  are  imported  and  have  been  used  on  some  streets  in 
the  Borough  of  Brooklyn  and  Richmond.  They  make  a  good  pavement  while  new,  but 
as  none  of  this  pavement  has  been  laid  very  long,  its  wearing  qualities  have  still  to  be 
demonstrated. 

Brick :  There  is  comparatively  little  brick  paving  in  New  York.  In  some  Western 
cities,  which  are  located  near  the  factories  of  paving  bricks,  the  cost  of  this  kind 
of  paving  is  low,  and  much  of  it  is  laid  on  that  account,  but  in  New  York  its 
cost  is  practically  the  same  as  other  forms  of  pavement  which  are  less  noisy  and 
for  that  reason,  if  for  no  other,  they  are  to  be  preferred.  Brick  may,  in  many  cases, 
however,  be  used  to  advantage  in  gutters  and  at  intersections  of  streets,  particularly  in 
connection  with  the  different  kinds  of  bituminous  macadam. 

Bituminous  Macadam  made  by  mixing  process :  This  is  largely  in  an  experimental 
stage  as  yet,  numerous  different  bituminous  and  mineral  ingredients  are  being  tried 
out.  In  the  Bronx,  in  Queens  and  also  in  Richmond  short  stretches  of  different 
kinds  of  Bituminous  Macadam  have  been  laid  and  these  are  being  watched  care- 
fully by  the  engineers.  For  a  road  covering  of  comparatively  low  ost,  it  is  of  excellent 
promise,  and  is  likely  to  play  an  important  part  for  streets  in  the  Boroughs  out- 
side of  Manhattan,  principally  in  residential  sections,  or  where  traffic  is  not  heavy. 
The  bituminous  materials  used  are  Asphalt,  Asphaltic  Oils,  or  their  residues,  Coal 
Tar,  Pitch,  or  a  mixture  of  some  of  these. 


VARIOUS    TYPES    OF    PAVEMENTS.  71 

Bituminous  Macadam  made  by  penetration  process :  The  materials  used  for  this 
are  similar  to  those  mentioned  in  the  preceding  paragraph,  but  instead  of  being 
mixed  with  the  mineral  ingredients  before  being  put  on  the  street,  they  are  applied 
to  the  surface  of  the  road  sometimes  hot,  sometimes  cold,  depending  upon  their 
consistency.  This  method  reduces  the  initial  cost,  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  it  is  as 
economical  in  the  end,  as  it  involves  a  greater  outlay  for  maintenance.  The  experience 
that  is  being  gained  in  making  roads  by  this  process  will  undoubtedly  result  in  much 
improvement  and  in  the  making  of  desirable  driveways  for  parks  and  boulevards. 

The  cost  of  these  several  wearing  surfaces  varies  considerably  in  the  different 
parts  of  the  City,  much  depending  upon  the  location  of  the  streets,  the  distances  that 
materials  have  to  be  hauled  and  the  conditions  that  may  surround  each  particular 
contract.  The  following  figures,  however,  are  sufficiently  accurate  to  give  a  general 
idea  of  the  cost. 

Improved   Granite    $2.20  to  $3.00  per  sq.  yd. 

Sandstone : 

Sheet  Asphalt   85  to  1.75  "  "  " 

Asphalt  Block   1.50  to  2.30  "  "  " 

Wood  Block 

Slag  Block   2.75  to  3.00  "  "  " 

Brick : 

Bit.  Mac.  Mix 75  to  1.25  "  "  " 

Bit.  Mac.  Pen 60  to  i.oo  "  "  " 

The  different  classes  of  traffic  for  which  the  pavements  must  be  adapted  are  as 
follows : 

1.  Heavy  trucking,  the  transportation  of  merchandise  and  produce,  building 
materials,  coal,  etc. 

2.  Light  trucking,  delivering  of  merchandise,  household  requirements,  etc., 
from  retail  stores. 

3.  Passenger  transportation  in  automobiles,  cabs,  etc. 
4.     Private  and  pleasure  vehicles. 

Under  all  of  these  heads  we  must  consider  horse  drawn  vehicles  and  automobiles. 
While  the  number  of  the  former  is  steadily  diminishing,  still  for  many  years  to  come 
the  horse  must  be  reckoned  with  in  deciding  on  the  pavement.  For  all  heavy  truck- 
ing whether  by  horses  or  automobiles  a  granite  pavement  is  undoubtedly  the  most 
desirable  and  wherever  there  is  considerable  grade  in  a  street  granite  should  also  be 
used  to  give  horses  a  proper  foothold,  and  this  holds  true  for  any  kind  of  traffic. 
Where  streets  are  fairly  level  a  good  wood  block  pavement  will  sustain  heavy  trucking 
for  a  limited  time,  but  will  be  found  very  trying  for  horses  when  wet. 

Asphalt,  Brick  or  Macadam  pavements  do  not  stand  well  under  heavy  trucking. 

For  light  delivery  wagons  and  passenger  vehicles,  any  of  the  pavements  men- 
tioned are  suitable,  but  in  view  of  the  greater  noiselessness  of  Asphalt  and  Wood,  they 
are  to  be  preferred  to  Granite,  but  with  the  use  of  smaller  blocks  and  greater 
exactness  in  making  the  surface  true,  and  the  supplementing  of  the  horse  by  the  auto- 
mobile, the  objection  of  noise  will  be  much  diminished  and  such  pavements  will  doubt- 
less find  increasing  favor. 

The  different  kinds  of  Bituminous  Macadam  will  naturally  be  used  where  the  in- 
vestment in  the  best  class  of  pavements  does  not  seem  justified  on  account  of  limited 
traffic. 


7-'  VARIOUS    TYPES    OF    PAVEMENTS. 

RECOMMENDATIONS. 

FIRST  AS  TO  TYPES  : 

For  Manhattan  we  recommend  that  stone  block  pavements  be  used  for  all 
streets  below  Twenty-third  Street,  except  cross  streets  in  tenement  districts;  in 
certain  small  areas  which  still  retain  their  original  residential  character;  in  the 
financial  district  and  in  other  exceptional  places  where  there  is  not  much  heavy 
trucking;  for  all  streets  of  heavy  trucking  above  Twenty-third  Street,  among 
which  should  be  included  Eighth  Avenue  and  all  the  avenues  West  of  it  as  far 
north  as  5Qth  Street ;  and  Third  Avenue  and  all  avenues  to  the  East  of  it  to  the 
Harlem  River. 

For  streets  in  residential  and  tenement  districts  we  recommend  sheet  asphalt 
or  wood  block  pavements,  the  choice  between  them  to  be  determined  solely  by 
their  proved  ultimate  economy. 

For  streets  of  heavy  automobile  traffic  we  recommend  in  addition  to  the 
two  last  mentioned  types,  pavements  of  very  small  granite  cubes  of  the  kind 
now  being  laid  in  Liverpool. 

For  the  other  boroughs  we  recommend  granite  block  pavements  for  all  streets 
of  heavy  trucking  and  for  streets  in  the  more  densely  populated  parts  which  are 
not  much  used  for  heavy  trucking  the  same  kind  of  pavement  as  recommended 
for  similar  streets  in  Manhattan. 

For  streets  in  the  outlying  section  of  those  boroughs  where  the  property 
values  are  not  such  as  to  warrant  first  class  asphalt  or  wood  block  pavements, 
we  recommend  an  approved  bituminous  macadam  with  brick  for  the  gutters  and 
perhaps  for  the  intersections  of  the  streets  as  used  at  what  was  formerly  called 
Prohibition  Park,  S.  I.  All  the  above  mentioned  pavements  with  the  exception 
of  the  macadam,  should  have  concrete  foundations  varying  in  thickness  from 
8  inches  for  the  streets  of  the  heaviest  traffic  to  four  inches  for  the  streets  of  the 
least  traffic.  When  brick  is  used,  it  should  always  be  on  a  concrete  foundation. 
We  recommend  that  no  more  slag  block  pavements  be  laid  in  Richmond  until 
those  now  in  place  have  been  tested  by  several  years  longer  wear. 

We  recommend  that  no  more  asphalt  block  pavements  be  laid  in  any  of  the 
boroughs  until  it  has  been  more  clearly  demonstrated  than  it  has  yet  been, 
that  they  are  as  economical  as  sheet  asphalt. 

In  addition  to  the  pavements  mentioned,  we  recommend  that  trial  be  made 
of  other  types  of  pavement,  which  have  proved  valuable  elsewhere,  especially 
"durax"  and  similar  pavements  of  very  small  stone  cubes,  in  places  which  may 
seem  advisable. 

In  planning  all  kinds  of  pavements,  care  should  be  taken  to  provide  through 
lines  of  uniform  pavement  for  the  different  classes  of  traffic  between  strategic 
points.  It  should  be  possible  to  find  pavements  suitable  for  heavy  trucking 
between  the  various  places  in  the  City  where  the  heaviest  shipping  is  done; 
there  should  also  be  through  lines  for  lighter  vehicles  over  continuous  pave- 
ments of  a  uniform  kind  between  points  of  the  greatest  importance. 

We  recommend  that  granite  curbs,  properly  cut  with  beveled  face,  be  used  where 
practicable,  instead  of  bluestone  and  especially  for  the  streets  of  Manhattan.  For  the 
newer  parts  of  the  City  we  recommend  substantial  curbs  of  concrete  of  correct  profile 
and  properly  protected  with  iron  in  preference  to  bluestone. 

For  the  more  important  parts  of  Manhattan  we  recommend  sewer  inlets  or 
gullies  of  the  English  type  as  being  easy  to  clean  and  less  objectionable  in 
many  ways  than  those  of  the  primitive  kind  we  now  have,  and,  in  places  where 
it  is  not  practical  to  use  that  sort  of  gully  that  the  openings  be  placed  in  some 
suitable  way  at  either  side  of  the  corner  and  without  the  excessive  depression 
which  is  so  objectionable  in  many  of  those  we  now  have. 


VARIOUS    TYPES    OF    PAVEMENTS.  73 

We  also  advise  that  experiment  be  made  to  determine  whether  the  surface 
water  from  the  gutters  could  not  be  run  directly  into  the  sewer  if  the  openings 
were  properly  protected  by  gratings,  and  so  dispense  with  the  catch  basin  which 
are  dirty,  unhealthy,  expensive  to  build  and  troublesome  and  costly  to  clean. 

SECOND  AS  TO  QUALITY  : 

\Ye  recommend  that  ultimate  economy  rather  than  first  cost  be  the  governing  con- 
sideration in  the  making  of  pavements.  We  are  firmly  of  the  opinion  that  the 
pavement  best  adapted  to  the  traffic  it  is  to  sustain  will  prove  the  most  economi- 
cal one  to  lay  irrespective  of  its  first  cost.  Only  the  very  best  quality  of 
materials  and  workmanship  should  be  used  on  any  pavement  no  matter  what 
the  type  may  be.  We  believe  that  the  additional  cost  of  a  thoroughly  good 
pavement  over  a  poor  one  or  one  which  is  only  fairly  good  will  be  much  more 
than  offset  by  its  longer  life  and  the  better  service  it  will  afford. 

We  also  recommend  that  all  materials  used  in  paving,  as  far  as  practicable, 
be  bought  by  the  City  directly  from  the  manufacturers  or  from  the  quarries 
where  they  are  produced.  If  they  are  furnished  by  the  contractor,  experience 
has  shown  that  as  a  rule,  he  will  supply  just  as  poor  a  kind  as  will  pass  the 
inspector.  If  the  City  made  its  own  purchases,  the  materials  could  be  inspected 
before  delivery.  This  plan  would  result  in  lower  prices,  because  the  credit  of  the 
City  is  better  than  that  of  any  contractor,  and  in  a  higher  grade  of  material 
because  the  inspection  would  be  better  and  the  contractor  would  not  be  benefited 
by  the  use  of  poor  materials. 

ERNEST  FLAGG, 
C.  F.  WIEBUSCH, 
J.  K.  OKR, 
S.  C.  HARRIOT. 


75 


REPORT  OF  THE  SUB-COMMITTEE  ON  THE  PRESENT 
METHODS  OF  ADMINISTRATION  AND  THEIR  DEFECTS 

We  herewith  submit  our  report,  viz : 

We  find  that  the  defects  of  municipal  administration  enumerated  below  are  the 
chief  causes  of  the  bad  condition  of  the  streets. 

(1)  Failure  to  make  proper  repairs  of  defects  resulting  from  traffic  wear  and  tear. 

(2)  Failure   to    exercise    fully   the   authority  with    respect   to   the   repavement   of 
openings  made  by  City  Departments,  corporations,  plumbers  and  others,  which  is  now 
vested  by  law  in  the  authorities  charged  with  the  duty  of  repaving  such  openings. 

(3)  Lack  or  inadequacy  of  Borough  President's  control  of  the  relaying  of  pave- 
ments, where  openings  are  made  by  the  different  City  Departments. 

(4)  Inadequate  control  of  repairs,  which  it  is  the  duty  of  the  surface  railroads 
to  make. 

(5)  Want  of  engineering  centralization,  incompetent  and  insufficient  inspection  and 
faulty  specifications. 

(6)  Damage  caused  by  use  of  streets  by  builders  and  others. 

(7)  Lack  of  expert  knowledge  on  the  subject  of  street  paving. 

These  several  considerations,  summarily  considered  in  detail,  are  as  follows : 

I 
HOLES  AND  DEFECTS  CAUSED  BY  TRAFFIC 

Except  as  to  streets  still  under  guaranty  of  maintenance,  the  Borough  President, 
through  the  Bureau  of  Highways,  has  absolute  control  in  keeping  the  streets  in  repair, 
and  for  failure  to  do  so,  can  offer  no  reasonable  excuse,  save  want  of  sufficient  funds. 
As  to  streets  that  are  still  under  maintenance  guaranty,  some  delay  is  unavoidable,  but 
the  chief  cause  of  delay  is  believed  to  be  due  to  want  of  a  proper  system  of  inspection 
and  the  inclination  of  the  Borough  officials  to  allow  the  contractors  to  make  repairs 
as  and  when  it  suits  their  convenience.  It  frequently  happens  that  the  contractor, 
before  making  any  repairs  in  a  particular  district,  waits  until  a  large  number  of  defects 
have  accumulated,  in  order  to  avoid  the  trouble  and  expense  of  making  repeated  visits 
to  the  locality.  In  the  meantime  the  condition  of  the  pavement  grows  daily  worse. 
The  maintenance  provision  in  these  contracts  is  the  source  of  unending  trouble  and 
should  be  eliminated  eventually,  and  the  guaranty  should  never  exceed  five  years. 
If  this  be  done,  and  the  Borough  authorities  empowered  to  make  repairs,  there  would 
no  longer  be  any  necessity  for  their  making  contracts  for  repairs.  The  whole  respon- 
sibility would  then  be  on  the  Borough  President,  where  it  properly  belongs. 

n 

OPENINGS  MADE  BY  SUB-SERVICE  CORPORATIONS,  PLUMBERS  AND 

OTHERS 

Before  issuing  permits  for  these  openings  the  Borough  President  has  the  right 
to  require  a  cash  deposit  sufficient  to  cover  the  cost  of  restoration.  He  has  the 


76  PRESENT    METHODS    OF   ADMINISTRATION. 

power  and  authority  to  do  the  work  and  the  money  to  do  it  with  and  can  offer  no 
excuse  for  failure  to  perform  his  duty.  In  Manhattan  and  in  some  of  the  other 
Boroughs  a  bond  is  accepted  from  the  corporations,  in  lieu  of  cash.  In  Brooklyn, 
which  has  its  own  asphalt  plant,  and  where  a  cash  deposit  is  invariably  exacted,  most 
of  this  work  is  actually  done  by  the  Bureau  of  Highways. 


Ill 

OPENINGS  MADE  BY  VARIOUS  CITY  DEPARTMENTS,  MAINLY  THE 
WATER  DEPARTMENT 

These  are  restored  under  contracts  made  by  the  particular  department  which 
removes  the  pavement,  and  the  Borough  Presidents  cannot  enforce  the  performance 
of  such  contracts,  but  must,  according  to  their  interpretation  of  the  law,  wait  until 
the  work  is  done  before  taking  any  action.  If  it  be  not  properly  done  their  authority 
to  have  the  work  torn  up  and  done  over  is  unquestioned,  but  they  have  no  money 
to  do  it  with,  and  are  practically  powerless.  Each  department  has  an  engineer  of  its 
own  and  relies  on  his  inspection  and  report,  irrespective  of  the  opinion  of  the 
engineers  of  the  Bureau  of  Highways.  These  difficulties  should  not  arise  with  respect 
to  any  work  done  by  the  Bureau  of  Sewers  or  the  Bureau  of  Buildings,  since  all 
contracts  for  such  work  are  made  by  the  Borough  President.  These  bureaus,  like  that 
of  highways,  are  under  the  Borough  President  and  have  no  legal  authority  to  make 
contracts.  The  only  occasion  for  any  friction  between  these  bureaus  and  the  bureau 
of  highways  would  arise  from  the  fact  that  each  bureau  has  its  own  engineer,  but 
the  Borough  President,  being  supreme,  could  readily  remove  any  cause  of  friction. 

It  appears  that  the  Water  Department  claims  the  right  to,  and  does  actually  make 
openings  without  the  consent  or  knowledge  of  the  Borough  President.  This  seems 
to  be  a  strained  and  unwarranted  construction  of  Section  391  of  the  Charter,  and 
would  justify  all  departments  in  ignoring  the  Borough  President.  It  is  evident  that 
so  long  as  the  present  system  of  divided  authority  and  responsibility  continues,  there 
will  be  friction  and  want  of  co-operation  between  the  departments  and  the  Borough 
President.  The  law  should  be  so  amended  as  to  centralize  jurisdiction  in  the  Borough 
Presidents. 

IV 

INADEQUATE  CONTROL  OF  THE  WORK  DONE  BY  THE  SURFACE 

RAILROADS 

Under  the  present  Railroad  Law  (apart  from  any  contractual  rights  the  Company 
may  have),  it  is  the  duty  of  these  railroads  to  keep  in  repair  the  pavements  between 
the  rails  and  two  feet  outside  thereof,  and  the  Borough  President  cannot  proceed,  to  do 
such  work  until  after  thirty  days'  notice  to  the  railroads.  If  the  railroads  do  not 
keep  up  these  repairs,  the  Borough  President  is  hampered  by  the  requirement  to  give 
so  long  a  notice. 

V 
WANT  OF  ENGINEERING  CENTRALIZATION 

There  is  a  conflict  of  authority  under  the  present  system.  There  should  be  a 
central  Board,  composed  of  representatives  from  the  engineering  departments  of  the 
several  boroughs.  Uniform  specifications  as  to  work,  types  of  pavement  and  rules 
of  inspection,  should  be  adopted  by  this  Board.  The  head  of  this  department  should 
be  an  engineer  of  large  experience  in  street  paving,  who  should  be  appointed  by  the 


PRESENT    METHODS    OF    ADMINISTRATION.  77 

Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment.  The  Borough  President  should  be  prohibited 
from  letting  any  contract  except  under  the  form  of  specification  prepared  by  the  Board ; 
but  he  should  be  allowed  to  determine  the  kind  of  pavement  to  be  laid  under  the  above 

limitations. 


Any  damage  caused  by  the  use  of  a  street  under  permit  from  the  Borough  Presi- 
dent, which  must  first  be  obtained,  should  be  immediately  repaired  at  the  expense  of 
the  permittee.  The  Borough  President  has  the  right  to  exact  a  cash  deposit  sufficient 
to  cover  cost  of  removal  of  any  obstruction  and  of  the  restoration  of  the  pavement. 
The  amount  of  the  deposit  required  in  the  Borough  of  Manhattan  for  each  permit  is 
$200,  and  in  the  other  boroughs  a  smaller  sum.  In  practice,  however,  a  bond  is 
accepted  in  Manhattan  in  lieu  of  cash,  the  bond  for  each  permit  being  for  $1,000.  A 
bond  for  $5,000  entitles  the  applicant  to  any  reasonable  number  of  permits. 


VII 

WANT  OF  EXPERT  KNOWLEDGE  UPON  THE  SUBJECT  OF  STREET 

PAVING 

The  subject  of  paving  and  the  different  types  of  pavement  have  become,  with 
the  advent  of  the  automobile,  a  subject  requiring  a  new  and  scientific  treatment. 
There  seems  to  be  no  city  department  adequately  provided  with  knowledge  and 
information  as  to  statistics  with  regard  to  materials,  costs  and  the  applied  science  of 
laying  pavements,  adapted  to  meet  the  present  conditions  of  traffic. 

In  order  to  remedy  the  existing  evils,  we  recommend : 

(a)  Such   amendment  of  the  present   charter,    so    far   as   may  be  practicable,   as 
will  enforce  greater  promptness  and  activity  on  the  part  of  the  Borough  officials  in 
the  performance  of  their  duties. 

(b)  The  limitation  of  the  time  of  guaranty  of  the  maintenance  of  all  pavements 
to  a  period  not  exceeding  five  years  (except  in  special  cases). 

(c)  The  subject  of  pipe  galleries  under  ground,  in  new  streets  and  streets  where 
transportation  subways  are  being  constructed,  should  be  seriously  considered. 

(d)  The  law   should  be   so   changed   as  to  centralize   in   one  person,    or   in   one 
person  for  each  borough,  say  the  Borough  Presidents,  exclusive  cognizance  and  control 
of  all   paving  and    repairs   and    relaying  of  pavements,    and   the    Statute   should   ex- 
plicitly provide  that  all  contracts  relating  to  such  work  should  be  made  by  the  Borough 
Presidents  and  expressly  state  that  no  other  City  Department   shall  make  any  such 
contracts. 

Departments,  as  well  as  others,  should  be  bound  by  the  requirement  to  obtain  a 
permit  from  the  Borough  President  before  opening  a  street.  It  may  be  well  to  also 
include  the  Public  Service  Commission  in  the  rule  requiring  permits.  The  Statute 
should  make  it  the  duty  of  the  Borough  President  to  require  a  cash  deposit  in  every 
instance  before  issuing  a  permit,  except  in  the  case  of  City  Departments. 

It  seems  to  us  that  Sec.  1136  of  the  proposed  new  charter  (known  as  the  Cullen- 
Foley  Charter)  goes  far  toward  meeting  the  requirements  of  such  an  amendment. 

There  is,  however',  one  provision  of  Sec.  1136  which  merits  serious  consideration. 
We  allude  to  the  clause  which  requires  the  permittee  to  backfill  the  trenches  and 
temporarily  relay  the  pavement.  The  Borough  President  of  Manhattan  thinks  that. 


7«  PRESENT    METHODS    OF   ADMINISTRATION. 

for  the  present  at  least,  the  permittee  should  be  required  to  do  this  work,  under  the 
direction  and  supervision  of  the  Borough  President,  leaving  to  him  the  permanent 
restoration.  There  is  much  to  be  said  in  favor  of  this  view,  but  after  mature  con- 
sideration of  both  sides  of  the  question,  we  have  reached  the  conclusion  that  better 
results  will  be  had,  if  the  Borough  President  be  given  exclusive  charge  of  the 
backfilling. 

Some  of  the  Borough  Presidents  think  that  the  streets  now  under  the  control  of  the 
Dock  and  Bridge  Departments,  and  all  streets  outside  of  the  parks,  and  now  under  the 
control  of  the  Park  Department,  should  be  under  their  jurisdiction.  Whether  such 
a  change  should  be  made,  we  are  not  now  prepared  to  say.  But  we  do  think  that 
the  3So-foot  area  around  the  Parks  now  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Park  Depart- 
ment should  be  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Borough  President. 

(e)  The  creation  of  a  Board,  as  outlined  in  V.  supra:    For  the  standardization  of 
types  of  pavement  and  forms  of  specification  with  regard  to  all  pavements  in  the  City. 

(f)  The   railroad    law    (Sec.    178)    should   be   amended,    if  practicable,    so   as    to 
confer  upon  the   local  authorities    (who   here   would   be   the  borough  president)    the 
authority   to   make,   in   the   first    instance    and   when   they   deem   it   necessary,   all    the 
repairs  which  the  surface  railroads  are  now  required  to  make,  and  to  charge  the  cost 
of   same  to   the   railroad.     If   nothing  more   be   done,   the  30  days'   notice  which    so 
greatly  hampers  the  Borough  President  should  be  reduced  to  three  or  five  days  at  most. 

(g)  The  use  of  the  streets  by  builders  and  others  should  be  either  prohibited,  or 
a  uniform  fee,  commensurate  with  the  extent  and  duration  of  such  use,  charged,  and 
payment   exacted   before   the  permit   is   issued    by   the    Borough    President.     His   au- 
thority to  require  the  payment  of  such  license  fee  to  be  fixed  according  to  the  nature, 
extent   and   duration   of  such   use   should   be   conferred   by  statute,   for   although   the 
Board  of  Aldermen  has  under  the  present  charter   (Sec.  50)   ample  power  to  provide 
by  ordinance  for  such  license  fees,  they  have  so  far  done  nothing,  and  may  continue 
to  be  indifferent  about  the  matter.     A  maximum  period  should  be  specified  for  which 
a  permit  may  be  issued,  and  it  may  be  that  it  would  be  advisable  to  fix  a  different 
rate  for  extensions. 

(h)  The  Borough  Presidents  should  have  authority  to  buy  materials  and  to 
make  repairs  and  if  there  is  any  question  about  their  having  such  power  it  should 
be  conferred. 

WM.  H.  PAGE, 
W.  W.  NILES, 
Jos.  L.  DELAFIELD, 

I  concur  in  the  above,  except  on  the  points  wherein  it  conflicts  with  the  Report  of 
the  Sub-Committee  on  the  Control  of  Street  Openings  and  Repairs. 

AARON  C.  THAYER. 
January  17,  1912. 


79 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE 
ON  INCONVENIENCE  TO  PUBLIC 

Your  Sub-Committee  on  inconvenience  to  the  public  begs  leave  to  report  as 
follows: 

This  Committee  met  the  Borough  President  with  the  Chairman  of  the  Board 
of  Public  Works,  and  received  a  polite  and  extended  hearing.  Mr.  McAneney 
stated  the  reasons  why  the  work  on  many  streets  was  so  long  delayed,  as  well  as 
reasons  why  repairs  were  not  more  promptly  made.  The  condition  on  Madison 
Avenue  and  its  long  delay  is  owing  to  the  fact  that  a  stratum  of  rock  was  struck 
which  was  unlocked  for,  and  a  much  more  extended  opening  in  the  street  was 
made  in  order  to  keep  workmen  employed  while  the  rock  drillers  were  at  work. 

The  Public  Service  Commission  alone  has  jurisdiction  over  the  Subway  work 
on  Lexington  Avenue,  and  is  entirely  responsible  for  the  condition  of  that  street. 
The  Borough  President  stated  that  the  arbitrary  reduction  of  the  appropriation 
for  his  Department  will  greatly  interfere  with  the  present  work  as  well  as  with 
new  work,  and  the  repairing  of  old  pavements.  With  this  reduced  appropriation, 
and  an  additional  area  of  15%  or  more  to  be  cared  for,  the  best  results  cannot  be 
expected. 

Many  of  the  asphalt  streets  were  finished  in  1897,  1898  and  1900,  and  have  not 
since  been  renewed  while  the  life  of  the  ordinary  asphalt  pavement,  under  the 
average  conditions  of  our  city  traffic  is  not  over  ten  years.  In  1903  more  than 
50  miles  of  streets  were  paved  with  asphalt  upon  the  old  stone  foundations,  often 
uneven,  and  not  properly  bedded,  with  the  natural  result  of  speedy  deterioration 
and  decay. 

Many  of  our  most  important  uptown  thoroughfares  are  under  the  jurisdiction, 
of  the  Park  Department,  and  when  neglected  reflect  most  injuriously  upon  the 
city.  Seventy-second  Street,  for  instance,  is  under  control  of  this  Department, 
and  the  Commissioner  of  Highways  was  compelled  to  await  permission  of  the 
Park  Department  in  order  to  put  down  a  new  sewer  pipe,  which  was  much  needed 
in  this  street.  Owing  to  an  accidental  explosion,  and  other  causes,  the  contractor 
defaulted  on  this  work,  and  the  Highway  Department  was  compelled  to  make  a 
connection  between  the  old  sewer  and  the  finished  portion  of  the  new,  in  order 
to  fill  the  trench  and  place  the  surface  of  the  street  in  condition  for  use. 

This  filling  has  been  done  with  cinders,  and  the  work  on  the  sewer  will  not  be 
resumed,  if  at  all,  until  next  Summer,  when  most  of  the  residents  of  that  section 
will  be  absent  in  the  country.  Again,  permission  of  the  Park  Department  must 
be  secured  if  the  work  is  to  be  finished. 

The  Fire  Department  is  responsible  for  the  condition  of  Nassau  Street  for  so 
long  a  time,  when  the  street  was  practically  closed  to  traffic,  pending  the  putting 
down  of  high  pressure  water  mains.  With  the  beginning  of  Spring  this  Depart- 
ment has  planned  to  open  many  more  downtown  streets  for  the  same  purpose, 
and  so  far  as  can  be  learned  there  is  no  power  to  prevent  the  opening  of  several 
streets  at  the  same  time,  or  to  compel  the  work  to  be  done  within  any  specified 
period. 

The  condition  of  42nd  Street  for  so  long  a  time  was  owing  to  Subway  work 
beyond  the  control  of  the  Highway  Department.  The  work  on  city  streets  is 


8o  INCONVENIENCE   TO   THE    PUBLIC. 

further  complicated  by  the  fact  that  the  following  streets,  in  addition  to  72nd,  are 
under  control  of  the  Park  Department: 

86th  Street  from  Central  Park  to  Riverside  Drive. 
96th  Street  from  West  End  Avenue  to  tracks  of  N.  Y.  Central  R.  R. 
noth  Street  from  Fifth  Avenue  to  Riverside  Drive. 
I22nd  Street  from  Morningside  Avenue  to  Riverside  Drive. 
Morningside  Avenue  from  noth  North  to  end  of  Morningside  Park. 
Riverside  Drive  72nd  to  i2Qth. 
West  End  Avenue  north  of  /oth  Street. 

Again  the  circles  at  59th  Street  and  Fifth  Avenue,  also  59th  Street  and  Eighth 
Avenue  are  under  the  Park  Department,  while  the  streets  north  and  south  are 
under  the  Highway  Department.  This  also  applies  to  circles  at  noth  Street  as 
well  as  the  west  side  of  Fifth  Avenue  Plaza  from  s8th  Street  to  59th  Street.  A 
still  more  complicated  condition  exists  on  Fifth  Avenue.  The  Bambrick  Paving 
Co.  is  responsible  for  its  care  from  6oth  Street  to  Both  Street,  until  the  main- 
tenance contract  expires  August  30,  1913.  The  Barber  Asphalt  Co.  is  responsible 
for  conditions  from  Both  Street  to  goth  Street,  until  expiration  of  contract,  June 
30,  1912. 

The  present  method  of  holding  the  contracting  companies  liable  for  five  years 
maintenance  is  thought  to  be  the  best  for  the  interests  of  the  City,  because  of  the 
fact  that  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  secure  the  services  of  a  competent  engineer, 
or  expert  to  supervise  the  work  when  in  progress,  and  one  qualified  to  pass  judg- 
ment upon  it  when  finished. 

From  all  this  it  is  needless  to  say  that  the  public  suffers  great  inconvenience 
because  of  the  condition  of  our  streets,  and  not  only  inconvenience,  but  absolute 
loss  to  the  business  community  in  the  delay  and  time  consumed  in  the  shipment 
of  goods.  The  greatest  inconvenience  is  caused  by  neglected  repairs. 

In  the  business  section  of  the  City,  with  a  well  paved  street,  freight  shipments 
can  be  made  in  truck  loads  of  from  three  to  five  tons  without  overtaxing  a  team 
of  horses,  while  a  badly  paved  street  prevents  the  carrying  of  more  than  two  or 
three  tons,  nearly  doubling  the  cost  of  transportation,  and  vastly  increasing  the 
expense  in  wear  and  tear  of  rolling  stock,  also  the  inconvenience  to  automobile 
and  carriage  traffic,  where  the  loss  is  almost  beyond  computation.  It  makes 
riding  for  pleasure  in  our  city  streets  quite  out  of  the  question,  and  the  use  of  the 
automobiles  for  shopping  and  other  necessary  purposes,  a  hardship,  when  it 
should  be  a  comfort. 

Owners  of  automobiles  and  carriages,  as  well  as  owners  of  horses  and  wagons 
for  business  use,  are  taxpayers  and  have  a  right  to  demand  that  the  streets  of  this 
city  shall  be  paved  in  the  best  and  most  scientific  manner,  to  the  end  that  they 
may  be  relieved,  not  only  of  discomfort  and  inconvenience,  but  that  the  city  itself 
may  be  saved  from  that  reproach  that  it  now  so  greatly  merits  and  is  receiving. 

Much  of  this  inconvenience  might  be  overcome  if  there  was  some  power  to 
insist  that  the  tearing  up  of  old  pavement  shall  not  be  begun  before  the  con- 
tractors are  ready  to  proceed  to  completion  of  the  work  (witness  the  condition 
of  Fifth  Avenue  for  the  past  three  or  four  months),  and  that  when  tearing  up 
the  old,  it  shall  be  done  for  a  limited  section  at  a  time  only,  completing  that 
before  beginning  another.  Work  might  well  be  done  also  at  night,  particularly 
where  the  section  being  treated  is  a  very  busy  one. 

Another  source  of  great  inconvenience  that  the  public  suffers  from  is  the 
neglect  of  repairs  being  promptly  made;  small  holes  or  cuts  are  allowed  to  remain 
without  attention,  until  by  neglect  the  size  of  the  holes  becomes  such  that  the 


INCONVENIENCE    TO    THE    PUBLIC.  81 

discomfort  of  the  public  is  immensely  increased,  and  the  cost  of  repairs  increased 
correspondingly  (see  corner  Chambers  Street  and  West  Broadway,  Park  Place, 
and  scores  of  other  places). 

Much  of  all  that  is  covered  by  this  criticism  would  no  doubt  be  done  away 
with,  were  there  inaugurated  a  system  that  gave  some  indication  of  careful 
thought  and  consideration  of  the  public,  and  which  had  in  view  the  utmost  expe- 
dition in  the  work  to  be  done,  its  being  done  in  the  best  possible  manner,  with 
the  final  result  of  a  less  cost  (without  doubt)  to  the  public  treasury. 

STEPHEN   FARRELLY, 
J.  O.  BLOSS, 
WM.  H.  GIBSON, 
CHARLES  R.  LAMB. 
December  20.  1911. 


REPORT  OF  SUB-COMMITTEE  ON  LEGISLATION 

January  17,  1912. 
We  have  made  examination  of  subjects  as  follows: 

(1)  The  present  City  Charter. 

(2)  Proposed  Charter  known  as  the  Cullen-Foley  Charter,  which  was  introduced 
at  the  last  session  of  the  Legislature. 

(3)  Hammond  Charter  (also  introduced  at  the  same). 

(4)  Various  amendments  to  the  Charter,  proposed  by  the  Committee  on   Street 
Control,  appointed  by  the  Mayor  in  1907. 

(5)  Antecedent  Charters  of  the  City. 

(6)  The    Charters    of   the   various    Railroad    Companies    as    the    same    relate    to 
paving  obligations. 

(/)  The  Railroad  and  the  Highway  Laws  of  the  State,  and  the  Ordinances  of  the 
City. 

We  have  held  five  meetings,  at  which  the  several  members  of  the  Committee  have 
all  been  present,  with  one  exception,  in  which  there  was  one  absentee. 

In  addition  to  the  above  we  have  had  personal  conferences  with  the  officials  of 
various  departments  of  the  City  of  New  York,  and  have  examined  the  various  com- 
munications received  by  the  General  Committee  and  on  file  at  the  office  of  its  secretary. 
We  have  also  had  personal  conferences  with  eminent  engineers,  namely  Mr.  W.  Barclay 
Parsons.  Col.  J.  W.  Howard  and  Mr.  A.  W.  Dow,  who  have  attended  at  the  sessions 
of  our  Committee,  as  citizens,  and  have  given  us  the  benefit  of  their  knowledge  and 
experience. 

We  are  therefore  ready  to  receive  advices  from  the  General  Committee  at  its  con- 
venience concerning  suggested  legislation  which  it  may  wish  to  propose  in  the  premises^ 

WM.  H.  PAGE, 

W.   W.   NlLES, 

Jos.  L.  DELAFIELD, 
AARON  C.  THAYER. 


REPORT  OF  THE  SUB-COMMITTEE 
ON  SNOW  REMOVAL  AND  GUTTER  FLUSHING 

The  prompt  removal  of  the  snow  has  a  very  important  bearing  upon  the  usefulness 
of  our  streets.  The  present  method  is  both  costly  and  slow.  It  is  necessary  to  haul  it 
in  carts,  for  long  distances  over  roads  which  are  often  well  nigh  impossible ;  and 
notwithstanding  the  enormous  sums  spent  to  keep  the  streets  free,  it  is  impossible  to 
do  the  work  either  rapidly  or  well.  The  cost  to  the  City  which  the  system  involves, 
though  very  great,  is  but  a  bagatelle  when  compared  with  the  loss  suffered  by  the 
community  in  the  interruption  of  traffic ;  therefore  if  any  method  can  be  devised  to 
get  rid  of  the  snow  rapidly  and  economically  after  a  fall,  the  benefit  would  be  of  incal- 
culable value. 

We  believe  that  such  a  method  can  be  found  and  that  the  means  are  at  hand  in  the 
sewers  which,  at  a  comparatively  slight  expense,  can  be  equipped  to  do  the  work.  All 
our  streets  .are  provided  with  sewers  having  manholes  at  intervals  of  from  one  hundred 
to  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  located  in  the  center  of  the  roadway.  Here  we  have  a 
great  network  of  chutes  already  constructed  and  all  that  is  required  to  use  them  is  to 
provide  the  necessary  mechanical  force.  This,  too,  is  at  hand  in  the  water  mains  and 
needs  only  to  be  made  available  by  the  proper  connections. 

If  a  sufficient  flow  of  water  can  be  had  the  sewers  will  carry  off  all  the  snow  that 
can  be  shoved  down  the  manholes  by  an  ordinary  gang  of  street  cleaners.  This  much 
has  already  been  demonstrated  by  the  experiment  which  will  be  described  further  on. 

During  the  last  few  years  a  great  deal  of  snow  has  been  dumped  in  the  tidal  sewers ; 
there  are  twenty  of  them  in  use  for  this  purpose  now;  by  this  means  a  large  saving  has 
been  effected,  but  there  are  serious  objections  to  the  plan.  When  snow  is  dumped 
from  a  cart  into  a  sewer  there  can  be  no  certainty  that  sticks  and  rubbish  are  not  mixed 
with  it,  which  may  cause  a  stoppage,  and  the  plan  is  strongly  opposed  by  the  engineers 
in  charge  of  sewers  for  that  reason.  Moreover  this  method  does  not  obviate  the  use 
of  carts  and  the  expense  and  delay  which  they  occasion. 

Our  plan  is  entirely  different.  Given  the  proper  water  connections  near  the  top  of 
the  manhole,  the  snow  can  be  removed  in  less  time  than  it  now  takes  to  stack  it.  Snow- 
plows  can  be  used  to  draw  the  snow  to  the  center  of  the  streets,  then  it  only  remains  for 
the  men  to  shove  it  down  the  manholes  into  the  sewer.  There  is  seldom  any  trouble  in 
getting  enough  men,  and  if  this  plan  were  in  use  it  is  altogether  probable  that  the  whole 
City  could  be  cleared  of  snow  after  a  heavy  fall  in  less  time  and  at  less  cost  than  it 
now  requires  to  remove  it  from  the  principal  streets. 

With  a  view  to  testing  the  merits  of  the  suggestion,  the  necessary  permission  was 
obtained  from  Mr.  McAneny  to  make  a  trial  of  the  plan  and  we  also  obtained  the 
cordial  co-operation  and  assistance  of  Mr.  Edwards,  Street  Cleaning  Commissioner, 
and  of  Mr.  Graham,  the  engineer  in  charge  of  sewers.  Permission  was  given  to  use 
the  sewer  on  West  End  Avenue  from  76th  to  7Qth  Streets  and  several  lateral  sewers. 

The  preliminary  test  was  made  on  Monday,  February  5th.  The  Street  Cleaning 
Department  furnished  a  superintendent,  foreman,  twelve  laborers  with  wheelbarrows, 
three  lengths  of  hose,  the  necessary  shovels,  scrapers  and  other  implements.  The  hose 
was  attached  to  a  hydrant  and  water  admitted  to  one  manhole  while  the  snow  was 
thrown  in  the  manhole  below  it.  This  plan  was  not  altogether  successful  because  the 
bottom  of  the  manhole  was  wider  than  the  sewer  and  the  snow  accumulating  on  the 
floor  at  either  side  of  the  sewer  formed  an  arch  of  snow  above  the  stream. 


86  SXOW   REMOVAL   AND    GUTTER   FLUSHING. 

The  snow  was  then  thrown  into  the  manhole  into  which  the  hose  was  running  and 
the  nozzle  held  a  short  distance  below  the  level  of  the  pavement.  As  the  snow  was 
shoved  in,  the  water  mixed  with  it  and  no  stoppage  occurred;  the  force  of  the  water 
prevented  the  formation  of  the  arch.  The  twelve  men  pushed  in  the  snow  as  fast  as 
they  could  and  tried  to  clog  the  hole  but  were  unable  to  do  so.  The  stream  was  fur- 
nished by  a  two  and  one-half  inch  hose  and  was  not  as  large  as  we  supposed  would 
be  necessary.  However,  it  worked  well. 

We  next  tried  a  small  pipe  sewer  on  67th  Street.  The  sewer  inspector  wras  opposed 
to  using  this  at  first,  because  he  said  it  was  one  of  the  poorest  and  smallest  sewers  in 
the  City  and  one  that  the  Department  was  constantly  having  trouble  with,  but  he  finally 
•consented  and  a  one  and  a  quarter  inch  stream  was  turned  down  the  manhole.  When 
the  snow  was  thrown  in  slowly  it  was  carried  off  with  success,  but  when  the  men  shoved 
it  in  as  fast  as  they  could,  the  water  was  not  able  to  keep  the  passage  open  and  a 
bridge  or  arch  of  snow  formed  over  the  pipe;  in  a  few  minutes,  however,  the  water 
broke  down  this  arch  and  the  way  was  again  cleared.  If  instead  of  a  two  and  a  half 
inch  hose  with  an  inch  and  a  quarter  nozzle,  we  could  have  used  a  four  inch  stream,  it 
is  altogether  probable  that  even  this  poor  and  small  sewer  would  have  worked  satis- 
factorily. 

The  test  was  not  as  complete  as  we  could  have  wished  to  make  it,  but  it  was 
sufficient  to  demonstrate  beyond  a  question  that  with  enough  water,  the  plan  is  per- 
fectly feasible.  At  the  next  fall  of  snow  we  hope  to  make  a  more  complete  test,  using 
more  water  than  the  hose  on  hand  at  the  last  trial  would  permit  of. 

To  operate  the  plan,  the  manholes  should  be  equipped  with  a  permanent  water  con- 
nection of  adequate  size  near  the  top  and  furnished  with  a  proper  valve.  The  water  need 
only  be  turned  on  while  the  snow  is  actually  being  thrown  down  the  hole.  These  water 
connections  might  easily  be  arranged  so  that  they  could  be  used  by  the  Fire  Department 
and  thus  dispense  with  the  fire  hydrants,  or  if  the  hydrants  are  retained,  the  outlets 
would  serve  to  supplement  them.  Their  location  within  the  manhole  would  be  particu- 
larly advantageous  as  the  natural  heat  of  the  sewer  would  always  prevent  freezing. 

Occasional  attempts  are  made  by  the  Street  Cleaning  Department  to  clean  small 
areas  of  pavement  by  flushing  the  street  with  water  squirted  on  through  a  hose.  This 
method  is  not  practical  for  general  application  because  it  is  too  difficult  and  costly  to 
apply,  and  interferes  too  much  with  traffic.  It  is  ineffective  and  not  worth  continuing. 

In  many  cities  of  Europe  and  especially  those  of  France,  it  is  the  custom  to  flush 
out  the  gutters  with  running  water,  every  morning;  spiggots  are  placed  at  the  highest 
point  in  the  gutter  and  when  the  water  is  turned  on  it  flows  to  the  nearest  sewer  inlet, 
at  the  same  time  the  gutter  is  swept  and  the  water  brushed  up  on  to  the  pavement  so 
that  a  strip  of  from  four  to  five  feet  is  thoroughly  cleansed.  The  labor  is  compara- 
tively light  and  is  often  performed  by  old  men  and  women ;  one  person  who  is  used 
to  it  can  cover  a  long  extent  of  gutter  in  an  hour's  time.  On  ground  that  is  compara- 
tively flat  the  gutter  is  generally  graded  from  the  center  of  the  block  to  the  corners, 
and  the  water  outlet  is  placed  at  the  highest  point,  so  that  the  flow  can  be  deflected 
first  down  one  slope  and  then  down  the  other. 

This  method  of  cleaning  the  streets  has  so  much  to  recommend  it  that  it  seems  to 
us  it  ought  to  be  tried  here.  It  cleans  the  street  more  thoroughly  than  can  be  done  in 
any  other  way  and  it  cleans  that  part  of  the  street  which  always  stands  most  in  need 
of  cleansing.  It  is  also  beneficial  for  the  pavements,  especially  if  they  are  of  wood.  It 
has  been  the  experience  of  Paris  that  wood  pavements  which  are  constantly  flushed 
with  water  do  not  decay  and  last  much  longer  than  if  not  treated  in  this  way. 

ERNEST  FLAGG, 
THOMAS   DIMOND, 
ROBERT  GRIER  COOKE. 

Feb.  13,  1912. 


AN    ACT 

To  amend  the  Greater  New  York  Charter  in  relation  to  permits  for  the 
removal  of  pavements  and  the  relaying  of  same. 

The  People  of  the  State  of  New  York,  represented  in  Senate  and 
Assembly,  do  enact  as  follozvs: 

Section  i.  Section  three  hundred  and  ninety-one  of  the  Greater  New 
York  Charter  as  re-enacted  by  Chapter  four  hundred  and  sixty-six  of  the 
laws  of  nineteen  hundred  and  one,  is  hereby  amended  to  read  as  follows : 

§  391-  [^°  removal  of  the  pavement  or  disturbance  of  the  surface  of 
any  street  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  vaults  or  lateral  ways,  digging 
cellars,  laying  foundations  of  buildings  or  other  structures,  making  sewer 
connections,  or  repairing  sewers  or  pipes,  of  laying  down  gas  and  water 
pipes,  steam  pipes  and  electric  wires,  or  introducing  the  same  into  buildings, 
or  for  any  purpose  whatever,  shall  be  made  until  a  permit  is  first  had  from 
the  president  of  the  borough  where  the  work  is  to  be  done ;  and  whenever 
any  portion  of  the  pavement  in  any  street  or  avenue  in  said  city  shall  have 
been  removed  for  any  of  these  purposes,  and  such  pavement  shall  not  be 
relaid  in  a  manner  satisfactory  to  the  president  of  said  borough,  the  said 
president  may  cause  a  notice,  in  writing,  to  be  served  upon  the  person  or 
corporation  by  whom  the  same  was  removed;]  No  opening  or  excava- 
tion shall  be  made  in  a  street,  nor  shall  a  pavement  be  removed  or  the  surface 
of  a  street  disturbed  until  a  permit  shall  have  been  obtained  from  the  borough 
president.  Every  application  for  such  permit  shall  state  the  location  and 
•dimensions  of  street  surface  to  be  disturbed  and  the  work  zvhich  is  to  be  done 
by  the  permittee.  The  permittee  shall  begin  zvork  zvithin  twenty-four  hours 
•after  the  issuance  of  the  permit  and  shall  prosecute  the  work  to  completion 
zwthout  delay.  When  the  work  is  completed,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the 
Borough  President  forthwith  to  restore  the  pavement.  The  refilling  of  the 
opening  or  excavation  and  the  relaying  of  the  pavement  shall  be  done  by 
the  Borough  President  by  his  mvn  employees  or  by  contract,  except  in  cases 
where  such  repairs  are  covered  by  existing  contracts  in  zvhich  event  the 
Borough  President  shall  see  to  it  that  the  zvork  is  promptly  done  by  the  con- 
tractor. Prior  to  the  issuance  of  any  such  permit,  the  Borough  President 
shall  require  the  deposit  of  such  sum  as  he  may  deem  necessary  to  cover  the 
permanent  restoration  of  the  pavement  and  backfill,  and  the  paving  inspec- 

F.XPLANATION  :     Matter  in  italics  is  new  ;  matter  in  brackets  [    ]  is  old  law  to  be  omitted. 


PROPOSED    AMENDATORY    LAWS. 

tion,  and  all  other  expenses  incident  thereto.  Xo  security  sliall  be  accepted 
by  the  Borough  President,  in  lieu  of  the  cash  deposit  herein  required. 
Schedules  of  the  amounts  so  required  to  be  deposited  for  different  classes  of 
work  shall  be  kept  on  public  file  in  the  office  of  the  Borough  President  and 
may  be  amended  by  him  from  time  to  time  as  he  may  deem  necessary.  If  an 
opening  be  made  by  a  city  department,  no  deposit  shall  be  required  but  the 
fund  for  replacing  pavements  shall  be  reimbursed  for  the  cost  of  the  restora- 
tion by  transfer  by  the  Comptroller  of  funds  of  the  department  upon  the 
certificate  of  the  Borough  President.  If  upon  completion  of  the  work  it 
appear  that  tlie  amount  deposited  as  aforesaid  was  an  overcharge,  the  per- 
mittee shall  be  entitled  to  a  proportionate  refund ;  but  if  the  work  of  inspec- 
tion and  pavement  restoration  shall  not  have  been  covered  b\  the  deposit,  a 
statement  of  the  deficit  shall  be  submitted  to  the  permittee  and  if  payment  of 
such  deficit  be  not  made  within  ten  days  the  Borough  President  shall  transmit 
the  claim  to  the  Corporation  Counsel  who  shall  proceed  to  collect  it,  and  the 
Borough  President  may  refv.se  to  grant  a  further  permit  to  a  party  in  default 
until  such  claim  shall  hare  been  satisfied.  There  sliall  be  for  each  borough 
in  the  office  of  the  Chamberlain  a  special  continuing  fund,  to  be  known  as 
the  fund  for  replacing  pavements,  to  which  the  amounts  deposited,  trans- 
ferred or  collected  as  aforesaid  in  eacli  borough  shall  be  credited  and  from 
which  the  expense  to  the  city  of  any  work  done  under  such  permits  shall  be 
paid  on  the  order  of  the  Comptroller  and  certificate  of  the  Borough  Presi- 
dent. In  case  such  fund  should  at  any  time  become  depleted,  the  Comptroller 
shall  issue  special  revenue  bonds  to  replenish  it.  If  any  portion  of  the  pave- 
ment in  any  street  in  a  borough  shall  have  been  wrongfully  removed  by  any 
person  or  corporation  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  President  of  said  boroughr 
and  he  is  hereby  authorized  to  cause  such  pavement  to  be  immediately  put  in 
proper  order  and  repair  in  such  manner  as  he  may  deem  best,  and  to  collect 
from  the  person  or  corporation  by  whom  sucli  pavement  was  removed  all 
costs  and  expenses  incurred  for  putting  such  pavement  in  proper  order  and 
repair. 

[or  if  such  removal  was]  Jl'hencver  the  pavement  shall  be  removed  for 
the  purpose  of  making  connection  between  any  house  or  lot  or  any  sewer  or 
pipes  in  the  street,  or  for  constructing  vaults,  or  otherwise  improving  any 
house  or  lot,  [upon  the  owner  or  occupant  of  such  house  or  lot,  requiring 
such  person  or  corporation,  or  the  owner  or  occupant  of  such  house  or  lot,  to 
have  such  pavement  properly  relaid  within  five  days  after  service  of  sucli 
notice],  //  the  costs  of  putting  such  pavement  in  proper  order  and  repair,  or 
the  deficit  in  case  of  a  deposit  and  issuance  of  a  permit,  be  not  paid  to  the 
President  of  the  borough  within  five  days  after  such  work  is  completed,  the 
Borough  President  shall  cause  a  notice  in  writing  to  be  served  upon  the 
owner  or  occupant  of  such  house  or  lot,  requiring  such  owner  or  occupant  to 
pay  such  costs  or  deficit  within  five  days  after  service  of  such  notice.  Such 
notice  may  he  served  upon  the  owner  or  occupant  of  a  house  or  lot  by  leaving 
the  same  with  any  person  of  adult  age  upon  said  premises  or  posting  the  same 


PROPOSED   AMENDATORY   LAWS.  89 

thereupon.  [In  case  such  pavement,  or  portion  thereof,  shall  not  be  relaid  to 
the  satisfaction  of  said  Borough  President  within  the  time  specified  in  such 
notice,  it  shall  be  lawful,  and  authority  is  hereby  given  to  said  Borough 
President  to  have  such  pavement,  or  the  portion  thereof  which  shall  have 
been  so  unsatisfactorily  laid,  put  in  proper  order  and  repair,  in  such  manner 
as  he  may  deem  best,  on  account  of  the  person  or  corporation  by  whom  such 
pavement  was  removed,  or  of  the  owner  of  the  premises  for  whose  benefit 
such  removal  was  made.  Upon  the  costs  of  such  work  being  certified  to  the 
Comptroller  of  the  City  of  New  York  by  the  said  Borough  President.]  // 
the  costs  of  such  work  or  such  deficit  be  not  paid  within  the  time  specified  in 
such  notice,  the  Borough  President  shall  certify  such  costs  or  deficit  to  the 
Comptroller  of  the  City  of  New  York,  with  a  description  of  the  lot  or  prem- 
ises to  improve  which  such  removal  of  pavement  was  made,  and  said  Comp- 
troller shall  pay  the  same,  and  the  amount  so  paid  or  the  excess  so  paid  over 
and  above  the  deposit,  if  any,  shall  become  a  lien  and  charge  upon  the  prem- 
ises so  described,  and,  on  being  certified  by  the  Comptroller  to  the  collector 
of  assessments  and  arrears,  may  be  collected  in  the  same  manner  that  arrears 
and  water  rates  are  collected  under  the  direction  of  such  collector  of  assess- 
ments and  arrears.  [But  nothing  herein  contained  shall  be  deemed  to  pro- 
hibit said  Borough  President  from  demanding,  before  issuing  said  permit, 
and  as  a  condition  thereof,  the  deposit  of  such  sum  of  money  or  other  security 
as  in  his  judgment,  may  be  necessary  to  pay  the  costs  of  properly  relaying 
the  pavement  so  removed,  together  with  the  expense  of  the  inspection 
thereof.] 

8  2.     This  act  shall  take  effect  October  first,  nineteen  hundred  and  twelve. 


AN    ACT 

To  amend  the  Greater  New  York  Charter,  in  relation  to  the  inspection 
and  repairing  of  pavements. 

The  People  of  the  State  of  New  York,  represented  in  Senate  and 
Assembly,  do  enact  as  follows: 

Section  i.  The  Greater  New  York  Charter  as  re-enacted  by  Chapter 
four  hundred  and  sixty-six  of  the  laws  of  nineteen  hundred  and  one,  is  hereby 
amended  by  adding  thereto  after  Section  three  hundred  and  ninety-one 
thereof  a  new  section  to  be  Section  three  hundred  and  ninety-one-a,  to  read 
as  follows : 

District  Inspectors,  Appointments,  Duties. 

§  391-0.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  president  of  each  borough  to  appoint 
so  many  district  inspectors  as  shall  be  provided  for  by  the  Board  of  Estimate 
and  Apportionment  and  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  to  divide  his  Borough  from 
time  to  time  into  suitable  districts,  to  assign  one  such  inspector  to  each  dis- 
trict and  to  keep  in  his  office  a  public  record  of  such  division  and  assign- 
ments. Each  district  inspector  shall  be  a  civil  engineer.  A  copy  of  every 
permit  to  remove  pavement  or  disturb  the  surface  of  any  street  in  his  district 
shall  be  furnished  to  the  inspector  of  such  district  as  soon  as  it  is  issued. 
Each  such  inspector  shall  have  direct  charge  under  the  President  of  his  Bor- 
ough, or  under  such  official  as  the  President  of  his  Borough  may  designate, 
of  the  making  and  superintendence  of  all  repairs  to  the  streets  in  his  district 
whether  due  to  openings,  accidents  or  wear,  but  shall  not,  unless  so  directed 
by  the  President  of  his  Borough,  have  charge  of  new  construction  zvork. 

Each  such  inspector  shall  make  a  written  report  to  the  President  of  his 
Borough  on  every  day  except  Sundays  and  legal  holidays  embracing  at  least 
the  following  matters: 

1 i )  The  streets  or  parts  of  streets  examined  by  said  inspector  and  under 
his  direction  on  that  day,  the  work  in  progress  thereon  involving  any  removal 
of  the  pavement  or  the  disturbance  of  the  surface  of  any  street,  and  any  con- 
ditions found  by  him  in  the  streets  of  his  district  that  render  them  defective, 
dangerous  or  inconvenient  for  traffic,  or  that  are  prejudicial  to  their  free  and 
proper  use. 

(2)  The  work  examined  by  him  and  under  his  direction  on  that  day 
which  is  in  progress  under  permits  for  the  opening  of  the  streets,  whether 

EXPLANATION  :     Matter  in  italics  is  new  ;  matter  in  brackets  [    ]  is  old  law  to  be  omitted. 


92  PROPOSED   AMENDATORY   LAWS. 

such  ivork  is  being  conducted  in  accordance  with  the  terms  of  the  permits, 
all  instances  of  failure  to  comply  -until  the  terms  of  such  permits,  and  all 
work  completed  on  that  day  for  which  a  permit  or  permits  have  previously 
been  issued  by  the  President  of  his  Borough. 

(3)  The  measures  that  are  being  taken  to  repair  any  openings,  removals 
of  pavement  or  disturbance  of  the  surface  of  any  street  then  or  previously 
reported  by  him,  the  progress  of  such  repairs  and  all  cases  where  such  repairs 
have  been  completed  on  that  day. 

(4)  All  defects  found  in  his  district  on  that  day  in  the  surface  or  pave- 
ments of  any  street  due  to  accidents,  wear  or  other  causes,  the  extent  and 
character  of  such  defects,  the  measures  necessary  to  repair  them  promptly 
and  ivhat  measures  to  this  end  he  has  taken. 

(5)  All  instances  discovered  by  him  on  that  day  of  vvork  being  carried  on 
in  the  streets  of  his  district  without  a  proper  permit  therefor,  and  what  meas- 
ures he  has  taken  or  recommends  in  regard  thereto. 

In  any  Borough  in  which  there  is  an  engineer  in  charge  of  highways,  or 
an  official  performing  similar  duties  each  such  inspector  shall  receive  instruc- 
tions from  and  make  his  reports  to  the  President  of  his  Borough  through  the 
medium  of  such  engineer  or  official.  The  President  of  each  Borough  shall 
have  poiuer,  and  it  shall  be  his  duty  to  require  each  such  inspector  to  report 
upon  such  further  matters  and  to  perform  such  other  duties  relating  to  the 
streets  of  the  Borough  as  said  President  shall  deem  advisable.  Nothing 
herein  contained  shall  be  so  construed  as  to  prevent  a  President  of  a  Borough 
from  transferring  at  his  discretion  inspectors  from  one  district  to  another,  or 
from  temporarily  employing  all  or  any  number  of  such  inspectors  in  a  par- 
ticular street  or  streets  within  his  Borough. 

§  2.    This  act  shall  take  effect  October  first,  Nineteen  hundred  and  twelve. 


93 


AN    ACT 

To  amend  the  Greater  New  York  Charter  by  creating  a  paving  board 
and  defining  its  powers  and  duties. 

The  People  of  the  State  of  New  York,  represented  in  Senate  and 
Assembly,  do  enact  as  follows: 

Section  i.  The  Greater  New  York  Charter,  as  re-enacted  by  Chapter 
Four  hundred  and  sixty-six  of  the  Laws  of  Nineteen  hundred  and  one,  is 
hereby  amended  by  adding  to  Chapter  X  thereof  a  new  title  and  four  new 
sections  to  be  Title  Five  and  Sections  Four  hundred  and  forty-nine-a,  Four 
hundred  and  forty-nine-b,  Four  hundred  and  forty-nine-c,  and  Four  hundred 
and  forty-nine-d,  to  read  as  follows : 

TITLE  V. 
Paving  Board. 

§  449-0.  There  shall  be  in  the  City  of  Neiv  York  a  Paving  Board  which 
shall  consist  of  the  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportion- 
ment, who  shall  be  its  President,  and  the  Chief  Engineer  of  Highways  of  each 
of  the  several  Boroughs.  In  the  determinations  of  the  Board  the  President 
shall  be  entitled  to  two  votes  and  the  other  members  to  one  vote  each.  Every 
act  of  the  Board  shall  be  by  resolution  adopted  by  a  majority  of  the  whole 
number  of  votes  authorised  by  this  section  to  be  cast  by  its  members.  The 
office  of  the  Board  shall  be  in  the  Borough  of  Manhattan. 

§  44Q-&.    The  Board  shall 

1.  Prescribe  standard  forms  of  contract  and  specifications  to  be  used  by 
the  City  for  contracts  relating  to  the  construction  and  repair  of  streets  and 

pavements. 

2.  Fix  the  maximum  price  and  standard  of  quality,  and  prescribe  and 
standardize  the  specifications  for  all  paving  materials  and  supplies  to  be  pur- 
chased by  the  City,  whether  by  competitive  bidding  or  upon  open  market 
orders. 

3.  Examine,  test  and  analyse  all  paving  materials  to  be  used  in  the  con- 
struction and  repair  of  streets  and  pavements  or  which  may  be  referred  to  it 
by  a  Borough  President  or  other  City  Department,  Board,  body  or  officer 

EXPLANATION  :    Matter  in  italics  is  new;  matter  in  brackets  [     ]  is  old  law  to  be  omitted. 


94  PROPOSED    AMENDATORY    LAWS. 

having  authority  to  lay  and  repair  pavements,  and  said  Board  shall  keep  a 
record  of  every  such  examination,  test  and  analysis. 

4.    Determine  the  types  of  pavement  to  be  laid  in  the  several  Boroughs. 

§  449-f .  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  President  of  the  Board  to  call  a  meet- 
ing whenever  in  liis  opinion  the  public  interest  may  require,  and  whenever  lie 
is  requested  so  to  do  by  any  member  of  the  Board.  A  quorum  shall  consist  of 
members  entitled  to  cast  four  votes. 

§  449-rf.  The  specifications  and  types  of  pavement  adopted  by  the  Paving 
Board,  when  approved  by  the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment,  shall  be 
binding  on  the  Borough  Presidents  and  all  other  City  departments,  boards, 
bodies  and  officers  having  authority  to  lay  and  repair  pavements,  and  no  con- 
tract shall  be  made  or  let  e.vcept  in  conformity  therewith. 

§  2.    This  act  shall  take  effect  October  first,  Nineteen  hundred  and  twelve. 


95 


"D1 

AN    ACT 

To  amend  the  railroad  law,  in  relation  to  keeping  streets  in  repair. 

The  People  of  the  State  of  New  York,  represented  in  Senate  and 
Assembly,  do  enact  as  follou's: 

Section  i.  Section  One  hundred  and  seventy-eight  of  Chapter  Four 
hundred  and  eighty-one  of  the  Laws  of  Nineteen  hundred  and  ten,  entitled 
"An  Act  in  relation  to  railroads,  constituting  Chapter  Forty-nine  of  the  con- 
solidated laws,"  is  hereby  amended  to  read  as  follows: 

§  178.  Repair  of  Streets;  Rate  of  Speed;  Removal  of  Ice  and  Snow. 
Every  street  surface  railroad  corporation  so  long  as  it  shall  continue  to  use 
any  of  its  tracks  in  any  street,  avenue  or  public  place  in  any  city  or  village 
shall  have  and  keep  in  permanent  repair  that  portion  of  such  street,  avenue 
or  public  place  between  its  tracks,  the  rails  of  its  tracks,  and  two  feet  in 
width  outside  of  its  tracks,  under  the  supervision  of  the  proper  local  author- 
ities, and  whenever  required  by  them  to  do  so,  and  in  such  a  manner  as  they 
may  prescribe.  In  case  of  the  neglect  of  any  corporation  to  make  pavements 
or  repairs  after  the  expiration  of  [thirty]  five  days'  notice  to  do  so,  the  local 
authorities  may  make  the  same  at  the  expense  of  such  corporation,  and  such 
authorities  may  make  such  reasonable  regulations  and  ordinances  as  to  the 
rate  of  speed,  mode  and  use  of  tracks,  and  removal  of  ice  and  snow  as  the 
interests  or  convenience  of  the  public  may  require.  A  corporation  whose 
agents  or  servants  wilfully  or  negligently  violate  such  an  ordinance  or  regula- 
tion shall  be  liable  to  such  city  or  village  for  a  penalty  not  exceeding  five 
hundred  dollars  to  be  specified  in  such  ordinance  or  regulation. 

§  2.    This  act  shall  take  effect  October  first,  Nineteen  hundred  and  twelve. 


EXPLANATION  :     Matter  in  italics  is  new  ;  matter  in  brackets  [    ]  is  old  law  to  be  omitted. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below, 
or  on  the  date  to  •which  renewed.  Renewals  only: 

Tel.  No.  642-3405 

Renewals  may  be  made  4  days  priod  to  date  due. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


i  JBJEPID 


LD21A-60m-8,'70 
(N8837slO)476 — A-32 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


YorV    ((] 


comniit'tee 
Report* 


iiy )    Mayor 


on  pave men 


TB2b 
N5A4 
1913 


S259791 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


